Examining access to Psychoeducational Assessments by Socioeconomic factors for children with behavioral referrals

The psycho-educational assessment (PEA) is often recommended in behavioural presentations in children. The PEA assesses cognitive ability and detects any learning disabilities which may be the direct cause, or comorbidity, of a behavioral problem. This essential tool directs the child and family to appropriate treatment or intervention, and is critical for the school to design effective programming for the child. However, access to this assessment is quite variable. Some students may receive the PEA from a school psychologist if it has been established that other interventions have proven ineffective, but may experience long wait times. This study looked at a group of behavioural referrals at a local paediatric clinic to determine how many children had received a PEA, and if access seemed to be affected by their socioeconomic status (SES)