Saasha Sutera, Integrative Psychology, PLLC

04/03/2025

04/01/2025

In April, we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month.

03/27/2025

Providing feedback to children, in a developmentally appropriate manner that they can understand, is an invaluable part of the assessment process. I am often asked, "How do I talk to my child about their dyslexia diagnosis?" This is a great article that provides some ideas for parents:

"First, let them know the nature of their reading difficulties. Children are often relieved to learn that there is a name to explain why they have such trouble reading. Second, give him or her the facts—including the benefits—about dyslexia, and be positive while speaking and working with your child. ... When talking to your children, you have to show them that it’s an obstacle, not the end of the world; and HOW you talk about it is as important as what you say.”

Early on, each child needs to know that they can count on unconditional support from their parents.

03/21/2025

One of my favorite parts of conducting comprehensive psychological assessments is collaborating with multiple disciplines!

03/20/2025

Grateful that education is shifting to a structured literacy approach.

Learn how to teach reading using structured literacy. See how evidence-based literacy instruction can be especially helpful for teaching struggling readers.

03/19/2025

March 🌦 Spring 🌱
National Reading Month 📖

Parents hear it all the time: it’s important to read to your kids. But why exactly is that? And does it matter how — or when, or what — you read to them?

10/04/2022

The comprehensive psychological assessment has 3 main components: cognitive, academic, and social/emotional/behavioral. The cognitive component assesses ability levels in various areas, including language processing, visual-spatial analysis, perceptual reasoning, attention, executive functions, problem-solving, memory, working memory, fine motor planning, visual-motor integration, and processing speed. Additional areas may be assessed in more depth depending on the referral question.

The academic component assesses reading, written expression, mathematics, and oral language. Subcomponents of each of these areas are also explored. For instance, reading comprehension, word reading, decoding, and oral reading fluency are measured. Writing is assessed at the word, sentence, and paragraph level. Math problem-solving, numerical operations, and math fluency are all assessed under the mathematics composite. The academic testing not only provides information regarding how one is performing relative to their peers, but also what they have learned relative to what their ability levels predict their expected achievement to be. If there are discrepancies here, a thorough analysis of the data is conducted in order to identify what is causing this discrepancy and possibly interfering with learning.

Lastly, for the social/emotional/behavioral component, information is gathered from teacher and caregiver rating scales, self-report questionnaires, and projective measures. This allows us to view the person from multiple perspectives and gain insight into the person’s thought process, emotional experiences, coping mechanisms, personality style, and interpersonal functioning.

Ultimately, the analysis of the data is included in a report that provides actionable recommendations and a roadmap to help achieve success. Check in next week to learn more about what is included in the written report.

Questions? Ask in the comments below!

10/03/2022

This month, we will be demystifying the psychological assessment. Check back here each week for pieces of the puzzle!

09/20/2022

Are you wondering if a psychological assessment is right for your child? Check out our website to learn more about what an assessment includes and questions that can be answered.

Psychological Assessments Offering thorough assessments and evaluations for adolescents and children. Neuropsychological Evaluations Generally, neuropsychological evaluations assess one’s functioning in general cognitive ability, memory and learning, executive functions (including attention and in...

08/10/2021

01/22/2021

Understanding your child’s strengths and weaknesses can help you prepare your child for success. I perform psychoeducational testing in the form of neuropsychological evaluations, assessment of learning disorders, social/emotional evaluations, and personality assessments to facilitate treatment of developmental difficulties and learning differences in children in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Learn more here.

Dr. Saasha Sutera offers psychoeducational assessments and psychoeducational testing to assist parents in understanding their child’s growth and development.