Psychological evaluations are conducted for social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties in order to provide diagnoses as well as recommendations for treatment. These difficulties can impair many different areas, and may be evidenced by inappropriate behaviors, moods or intrusive feelings that are interfering with daily functioning, a significant negative departure from an individual’s typical habits, or an inability to overcome roadblocks and achieve their full potential. Psychological tests are administered to evaluate not only behavior and emotional functioning, but also certain skills, personality, and intelligence. As part of you or your child’s psychological evaluation, Dr. Renken will gather information from parents and other relevant stakeholders (e.g. teachers or outside service providers). Behavioral rating scales will also be completed by parents, teachers, and the child/client (as age appropriate), as well as a clinical interview with the child/client. Brief intelligence and academic assessments will be conducted. For young children, an observation in a natural social setting such as a playground, extracurricular activity, or shopping trip will be orchestrated. This type of observational data can be very valuable, as it allows for a comparison of typical behavior with the behavior observed in the testing environment.