When a child — or an adult — comes in for a psychological evaluation, one of the first questions families ask is: what does the testing actually involve? The honest answer is that it depends on which evaluation you're having. Here's a walk through each type of assessment Dr. Brinkley offers at Brinkley Psychology, and the tools she reaches for in each one.
Every Evaluation Starts the Same Way
No two evaluations use the same set of tests. During the Initial Consultation and Clinical Interview sessions, Dr. Brinkley works out exactly what question needs answering, then builds the testing battery around it. One family of tools shows up in nearly every evaluation regardless of type: rating scales such as the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3), completed by parents, teachers, and — for older children, teens, and adults — the individual themselves. Rating scales matter because they capture how someone functions in real life, across home and school, not just in a quiet testing room.
Early Childhood Evaluations (Ages 6 and Under)
Testing a toddler looks nothing like testing a fourth grader, which is why our early childhood evaluations are shorter, play-based, and built around a young child's attention span. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) measures early thinking skills in children as young as 2 years, 6 months. For very young children, Dr. Brinkley often uses the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS-II) instead, which also measures early thinking but without as much language and sustained focus demands. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3) maps real-world skills like communication, daily living, socialization, and motor development, which is often where delays first show up. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment checks the concept knowledge expected at kindergarten entry: colors, letters, numbers, and shapes. When it's helpful, Dr. Brinkley also observes the child at daycare or preschool, because young children show different skills in different settings.
Autism Spectrum Evaluations (15 Months and Up)
In our autism spectrum evaluations, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) is the gold standard for observation: a structured, play-based interaction administered directly by Dr. Brinkley, with modules that run from toddlerhood through adulthood. Its activities naturally draw out social communication behaviors like eye contact, joint attention, and reciprocal conversation. Alongside it, the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) gathers ratings from people who know the individual well, and the Vineland-3 fills in the adaptive picture. For toddlers between 15 months and 3 years, the evaluation is streamlined so early intervention can begin during the window when it helps most.
ADHD and Executive Functioning Evaluations (Children Through Adults)
An ADHD evaluation pairs a detailed one-to-two-hour interview with two to four hours of in-office testing, scaled to the question being asked. A cognitive battery — usually the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) for school-age kids — shows how working memory and processing speed hold up against other thinking skills, a pattern that matters in attention concerns. Additional direct measures of attention and executive functioning might include subtests from the NEPSY, Second Edition (NEPSY-II) or the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). Rating scales from home and school round out the picture. Because anxiety and depression can look like ADHD on the surface, these evaluations are built to pick those up too, so testing can tell you whether ADHD is the right explanation or something else fits better.
Psychoeducational Assessments (School-Aged Children and Teens)
A psychoeducational assessment looks closely at how a child learns and their academic performance. The WISC-V is paired with the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition (WIAT-4), which measures what a child has actually learned in reading, writing, and math. A meaningful gap between ability and achievement is often the key indicator of a learning disability. When reading is the concern, the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Second Edition (CTOPP-2) checks the foundational skills closely tied to dyslexia. The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI) looks at the coordination behind handwriting and drawing. Alternative cognitive batteries like the KABC-II and DAS-II are available when a child needs a tool with lighter language demands.
Pediatric Neuropsychological Testing (Children Only)
Neuropsychological testing is the most comprehensive evaluation we offer. It's the right fit when learning problems come alongside other concerns, like trouble with attention and executive functioning or social-emotional struggles, and it maps how specific brain systems are working: attention, memory, processing speed, language, visual-spatial skills, and executive functioning. The battery typically pairs the WISC-V and WIAT-4 with subtests from the NEPSY-II and KABC-II, plus social-emotional measures like the ADOS-2 when the question calls for them. At Brinkley Psychology it's offered for children only, from toddlers through the school years.
Gifted and Kindergarten Readiness Testing (Preschool Through Middle School)
Gifted and kindergarten readiness testing uses a single gold-standard ability measure (the WPPSI-IV or WISC-V, depending on age) administered one-on-one in a relaxed session. To most kids it feels like puzzles and games. Virginia lets children start kindergarten if they turn five on or before September 30, so readiness testing shows how a summer- or fall-birthday child's thinking and early academic skills compare with the peers they'd sit beside. For gifted identification, Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover school divisions each run their own process, and an individually administered test often gives a fuller picture than group screening at school.
Private School Admissions Testing (Preschool Through High School)
Many independent schools in the Richmond area ask for cognitive testing administered one-on-one by a licensed psychologist as part of an application. Our private school admissions testing uses an age-appropriate ability measure from the same Wechsler family described above, with results prepared in the format each admissions office requires. Because the testing is the same caliber used in clinical evaluations, it also gives parents a real look at their child's learning profile, which is useful information for deciding school fit, not just admission.
No Two Evaluations Look the Same
A 3-year-old being evaluated for autism needs a very different battery than a 10-year-old struggling with reading or an adult seeking clarity about ADHD. Dr. Brinkley builds each evaluation around the person and the question, then explains every result in plain language. Families come to the Monument Avenue office, near Willow Lawn and St. Mary's Hospital, from across the Richmond metro. If you're wondering whether an evaluation makes sense for your child or yourself, an Initial Consultation is the right place to start — a one-time meeting to talk through your concerns and figure out the right path forward.
Related Reading
- What Are the Different Types of Psychological Assessments? A Guide for Richmond, VA Families — how to choose the right evaluation for your question.
- How to Prepare Your Child for Psychological Testing: Advice for Richmond-Area Families — what to say and what to bring on testing day.
