Psychological Testing and Evaluation
Clinically reviewed by Ambreen Shahabuddin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Licensed Psychologist | Last updated June 2026 | Family Psychology Associates has served Tampa Bay since 1992.
Comprehensive psychological testing provides a level of clarity that no clinical interview alone can match. A well-designed evaluation answers the specific question you came in with, identifies what else may be going on, and produces a written report that schools, physicians, attorneys, and other providers can use. Research summarized by the American Psychological Association supports the use of standardized, norm-referenced testing as the most accurate way to characterize cognitive function, learning patterns, attention, emotional functioning, and personality.
FPA has been a leader in psychological testing in Tampa Bay for more than three decades. Our testing program is built around doctoral-level psychologists and specialist educators who share one caseload across three offices, which keeps the quality of the report consistent no matter which clinician you see and which office you walk into.
Who Comes in for Testing
Testing is rarely ordered for curiosity alone. People come in with a specific question that a careful evaluation is built to answer. In our offices, the most common referral questions are whether a child has ADHD, a learning disability, or both. Whether an adult who has been treated for anxiety or depression for years might have underlying ADHD that was never identified. Whether a bright student whose grades are falling has a processing problem rather than a motivation problem. Whether a college applicant qualifies for accommodations on the SAT, ACT, or Advanced Placement exams. Whether a graduate or professional-school applicant qualifies for extended time on the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, or bar exam. Whether a child’s classroom difficulties reflect a learning disability, a behavioral issue, an anxiety issue, or some combination of the three.
A careful evaluation does not just answer the referred question. It rules in, rules out, and lays out what to do next. That is the piece that distinguishes a high-quality psychological evaluation from a brief screening.
What We See in Our Testing Caseload
Three patterns stand out right now. Adult testing referrals have grown significantly over the past several years, largely driven by adults, often women, whose ADHD was never identified in childhood because they were quiet, bright, and overcompensating. Their evaluations tend to be clinically complex because the ADHD is layered with years of anxiety, depression, or burnout, and we are sorting out what is primary. Adolescent referrals for concurrent ADHD and learning disability evaluation have also grown, often in families where the earlier diagnosis of one has masked the presence of the other. And we are seeing a steady increase in requests for comprehensive evaluations in gifted children with significant emotional or behavioral struggles, where the complete cognitive and emotional profile is essential to understanding what is happening.
We also see a steady flow of testing referrals for accommodation documentation, particularly for standardized testing. The bar for accommodation approval from the College Board, ACT, and graduate admissions testing bodies has become more exacting over the past several years. A well-constructed evaluation, using current, appropriate instruments, with explicit tie-in to the specific accommodation being requested, makes the difference between approval and denial.
A population that often goes under-served is adults seeking neuropsychological or psychoeducational testing after a medical event, such as a concussion, cardiac event, or cancer treatment, who are experiencing real changes in attention, memory, or processing speed. When those changes are characterized objectively, appropriate care and accommodations can be put in place. When they are not, patients often spend years being told the changes are anxiety or depression.
What Our Evaluations Typically Include
Depending on the referral question, a psychological evaluation at FPA may include the following elements:
- Clinical interview. A structured conversation with the client (and, for a child, with parents) covering developmental history, academic history, medical history, mental health history, current symptoms, and the specific question that prompted the referral.
- Collateral information. Teacher rating scales and parent questionnaires for children and adolescents, partner or collateral interviews for adults where appropriate, and review of school records, report cards, and prior evaluations.
- Intellectual assessment. Standardized measures of cognitive ability (IQ testing), typically using current versions of instruments from the Wechsler or similar families. Results speak to verbal reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, processing speed, and working memory.
- Academic achievement testing. Standardized measures of reading, writing, and math skills, benchmarked against a student’s cognitive ability to identify specific learning disabilities.
- Attention and executive function testing. Direct performance-based measures of sustained attention, inhibition, planning, flexibility, and working memory, which are the building blocks of ADHD assessment.
- Memory and processing assessment. Verbal and visual memory measures, visual-motor integration, processing speed, and the other elements that distinguish a specific learning disability from a global cognitive pattern.
- Emotional and personality assessment. When relevant, standardized measures of mood, anxiety, and personality function, which often identify the co-occurring conditions that the referring question missed.
- Integrated written report. A narrative report that interprets the full data set, answers the referral question, lays out diagnoses (if any), and provides concrete, individualized recommendations for school, home, work, and any follow-up evaluations.
- Feedback conference. An in-person or telehealth meeting where we walk you through the findings and recommendations. Research shows that the feedback session itself is one of the most clinically valuable elements of a comprehensive evaluation.
Who Our Testing Is For
- Children and adolescents where a diagnostic question about ADHD, a learning disability, autism spectrum, giftedness, or emotional functioning is affecting school, home, or peer life.
- Adults who suspect undiagnosed ADHD, a learning disability, or cognitive changes following a medical event, and who want an objective answer rather than another round of trial-and-error.
- Students and test-takers seeking appropriate accommodations on the SAT, ACT, AP exams, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and bar exam, or 504 Plans and IEPs in school.
- Presurgical bariatric evaluations and other evaluations requested by physicians for clinical decision making. See our Health and Wellness page for details.
Clinicians Who Specialize in Testing
Our ADHD, learning disability, and giftedness evaluations are conducted by Ambreen Shahabuddin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, a licensed psychologist and doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst who completed her internship and postdoctoral training at Emory University and Stanford University, with professional experience at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Medicine. She evaluates children, adolescents, and adults on a fee-for-service basis outside of insurance, with superbills available for possible out-of-network reimbursement. For autism spectrum questions, we provide screening and diagnostic consultation for children and adolescents, with coordinated referral when formal standardized autism assessment is indicated. Our intake team matches the specific referral question to the clinician whose training, instruments, and availability fit.
Typical Timeline
For a comprehensive evaluation, the general timeline is:
- Initial intake. 1 to 2 hours, covering clinical interview and the start of testing.
- Testing sessions. 1 to 2 additional sessions depending on the scope of the evaluation. Young children typically require two shorter test sessions; adolescents and adults often complete testing in a single longer session.
- Feedback conference. Typically about two weeks after the final testing session.
- Written report. Typically delivered within 3 to 4 weeks of the feedback conference.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psychological Testing
Do you do ADHD testing for adults?
Yes. Adult ADHD evaluation is one of our most frequent referral questions. The evaluation is similar in structure to a child evaluation, adapted to adult demands in work, academics, and relationships, and it looks carefully for the common co-occurring conditions. See our ADHD page for more about how we think about adult ADHD.
How is testing different from a screening questionnaire?
A checklist or screening tool asks what you have noticed. A comprehensive evaluation measures what is happening with standardized, norm-referenced instruments that are much less susceptible to bias. The two are not substitutes. Screenings tell you whether testing is indicated; testing tells you what the picture actually is.
Do your evaluations count for 504 Plans, IEPs, and standardized testing accommodations?
Yes. Our evaluations are accepted by Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough school districts for 504 Plans and IEPs, and by the College Board, ACT, and graduate and professional admissions testing bodies for extended-time and other accommodations on the SAT, ACT, AP exams, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and bar exam. See our Learning Disabilities page for more on the accommodation process.
Do you test for learning disabilities?
Yes. Learning disability evaluation is one of our primary services. A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation is the standard-of-care approach for identifying dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other specific learning disabilities. See our Learning Disabilities page for more detail.
Do you test for autism?
We conduct screening and diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum conditions in children and adolescents through our specialized clinicians, with attention to the common co-occurring issues including anxiety, ADHD, and learning disability. We do not currently offer formal ADOS-2 testing; when standardized autism assessment is indicated we coordinate referral to a specialty clinic. For adults seeking autism-affirming care, see our Adult Autism Therapy page. For pediatric autism services, see our Autism Spectrum Disorders page.
How current does an evaluation need to be?
As a general rule, evaluations used for current school or testing accommodation purposes should be within the past year for young children, and within the past three years for older adolescents and adults. Accommodation-granting bodies have specific rules that vary, and we stay current on those requirements.
Do you offer telehealth for testing?
The clinical interview and feedback conference can be delivered by telehealth. The direct testing itself is generally done in person because it requires controlled conditions and specific materials.
Do you accept insurance, and why is testing often not covered?
Testing is typically billed on a fee-for-service basis. We provide superbills that families can submit to insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Our intake team discusses this in detail before scheduling and provides a specific cost estimate once the referral question and scope are clear.
A common question is why insurance often does not cover comprehensive testing for ADHD or a learning disability. Most plans only cover services they consider “medically necessary,” and many insurance contracts classify ADHD and learning disabilities as developmental or educational rather than medical conditions. These contracts frequently contain explicit exclusions for educational testing, psychoeducational testing, or evaluations performed primarily for academic or accommodation purposes. Even when a plan does include psychological testing, coverage is often capped at a small number of hours, requires prior authorization, and may not extend to the full battery a comprehensive evaluation requires.
Insurance is more likely to cover psychological or neuropsychological testing when it is tied to a specific medical event, such as a concussion, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or cognitive change after cancer treatment. For those referrals, we recommend confirming coverage with your plan and obtaining any required physician referral in advance.
Related Services at FPA
Testing frequently leads to one or more of the following next-step services. You may also want to look at our pages on ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, child therapy, teen therapy, and young adult therapy.
Where We See Clients
Family Psychology Associates provides psychological testing at our offices in St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, and Trinity. Testing is conducted in person; intake interviews and feedback conferences can be conducted by telehealth throughout Florida. We test clients from early childhood through adulthood. To request a testing consultation, visit our Contact Us page.
Our Clinical Standards
Every clinician at Family Psychology Associates holds a current Florida state license. Our testing team includes doctoral-level licensed psychologists and an educational specialist with deep expertise in psychoeducational, neuropsychological, and diagnostic assessment. Our test batteries use current, norm-referenced instruments selected for each referral question. Reports are reviewed internally before release. Content on this page reflects clinical approaches currently used by our practice and is reviewed by FPA’s clinical leadership. It is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized clinical consultation.