I provide psychological and psychoeducational assessments in Ontario for children, adolescents, and adults who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, have Low Vision, or are Deafblind. My services may be provided in English or American Sign Language (ASL), depending on the needs of the person and the referral question.
Virtual assessments may be possible in some cases. They are more likely to be appropriate for clients who are Blind or Deafblind. For clients who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or have Low Vision, virtual assessment may also be possible, but with specific limitations.
Why specialized assessment matters
Fair assessment requires more than test administration. It depends on the examiner’s understanding of language access, sensory access, culture, test selection, standardization, appropriate adaptation, and interpretation.
Systems that were not designed with their communication and access needs in mind often misunderstand people who are Deaf or Blind. In some cases, clinicians select tests poorly. In other cases, they omit important areas altogether. This can lead to inaccurate conclusions, missed strengths, missed support needs, and misdiagnosis.
Direct assessment in ASL
For people who use ASL, the method of assessment matters greatly.
Clinicians can sometimes administer some nonverbal tasks through an interpreter. However, ASL is an iconic language, meaning that some signs visually resemble what they mean. Without specialized assessment training, sign choices can unintentionally provide clues, change task demands, or misdirect the person being assessed.
Interpreters are highly skilled professionals, but they typically do not train in psychometrics, item integrity, or the specialized demands of psychological assessment. Language-based assessment through an interpreter is therefore especially vulnerable to error. In those situations, the examiner may be scoring the interpreter’s output rather than the person’s actual language performance.
This concern applies not only to expressive language, but also to verbal reasoning, memory, comprehension, and some reading-related tasks. Clinicians who assess directly in ASL need training not only in administration, but also in how to evaluate and score responses expressed in ASL.
Omitting language-based testing altogether can also create harm. Clinicians should not treat a person who uses ASL as though they are entirely nonverbal simply because the examiner does not have the required language skills. That approach can obscure both strengths and support needs.
Assessment for people who are Blind, Low Vision, or Deafblind
Fair assessment for people who are Blind, Low Vision, or Deafblind also requires specialized thought and care.
Visual access affects far more than whether a person can see test materials. It may influence test selection, the meaning of timed performance, and the role of tactile or auditory access. It may also influence the interpretation of academic history and the validity of conclusions drawn from procedures that assume typical visual experience.
My background in this area informs how I approach planning, measure selection, adaptation, interpretation, and recommendations.
My background
I have more than 20 years of experience working with people who are Deaf, Blind, and Deafblind in clinical, educational, and consultation settings. I am fluent in ASL, and I have specialized training in fair and valid assessment for people who are Deaf and/or Blind.
I have also spent thousands of hours with children and adults who are Deaf or Blind in professional and social contexts. This has not been limited to testing settings or to people who have additional diagnoses. That breadth of experience matters. It gives me familiarity with normative development, communication, learning, and day-to-day functioning in these populations, not only with ability-related concerns in isolation.
Referral questions
Depending on the person and the referral question, assessment may help clarify learning, attention, executive functioning, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, giftedness, and diagnostic questions. It may also help clarify accommodations and documentation needs for school, post-secondary education, work, or disability-related supports.
Not every referral question is appropriate for every assessment approach. Planning should be individualized based on the person’s communication, sensory access, history, and goals.
For families and referral sources
Families, physicians, educators, school teams, rehabilitation professionals, and other referral sources are welcome to contact me to discuss whether an assessment is appropriate.
A brief consultation can help clarify the referral question and determine whether my services are a good fit. It can also help determine whether the assessment can be conducted in a way that is fair and clinically useful.