What is Psychological Testing?
Psychological testing is a structured, evidence-based way for a licensed psychologist to understand how someone thinks, feels, learns, and behaves. It can clarify a diagnosis, guide treatment planning, or support accommodations at school or work. Rather than guessing at what's going on, testing replaces uncertainty with a clear, documented picture of strengths and challenges — plus practical next steps.
A comprehensive evaluation looks across multiple domains — cognitive, academic, attentional, social, and emotional — to capture the full picture. This integrated approach often reveals connections and patterns a single screening would miss, and results in recommendations tailored to the whole person, not just one symptom.
We work with children ages 3 and older, adolescents, and adults. For children younger than 3, we're glad to provide referrals to appropriate developmental specialists.
Evaluations Available at WHCP
Assesses attention, focus, and executive functioning across home and school settings using parent, teacher, and child-report measures alongside performance-based attention tasks.
ADHD Evaluation
An integrated, cross-battery evaluation assessing learning, ADHD, Autism, behavior, and mood together — ideal for complex or longstanding concerns that don't fit neatly into one category.
Comprehensive Evaluation
Evaluates intellectual strengths and areas for support — commonly used for giftedness identification, academic planning, or school accommodation requests.
Cognitive (IQ) Evaluation
Measures reading, writing, math, and other academic skills to identify specific learning differences and guide school-based intervention or accommodation planning.
Academic Achievement Testing
A comprehensive look at developmental history, social communication, and behavioral functioning using structured play-based and observational assessment to evaluate for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism Evaluation (Ages 2+)
A one-time, 75-minute session to address a specific concern and determine together whether a formal evaluation is the right next step.
Parent Guidance Consultation
Meet your Testing Psychologist
Monica Garza, PhD, MPH
Licensed Psychologist · PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Houston · MPH, University of North Texas Health Science Center · UCSF Predoctoral Fellowship · Bilingual (English & Spanish)
Dr. Garza brings over 15 years of experience evaluating children, adolescents, and young adults in the Houston community. She specializes in comprehensive psychological assessments — including ADHD, Autism, cognitive, and academic evaluations — that help families gain a clear, evidence-based understanding of developmental, learning, emotional, and behavioral needs. Her approach is collaborative and strength-based: every evaluation is built to provide clear answers, practical recommendations, and a concrete roadmap for next steps, whether at home, at school, or in therapy. A native Spanish speaker, Dr. Garza offers fully bilingual evaluations and feedback sessions in both English and Spanish. She has co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed research articles and provides supervision and training to doctoral students in psychology — bringing both deep clinical expertise and an evidence-based foundation to every assessment.
What Does Testing Involve?
Every evaluation at WHCP includes a combination of:
A clinical interview reviewing history and current concerns
Behavior rating scales completed by parents, teachers, and/or the individual
Cognitive or IQ testing — direct tasks measuring thinking, problem-solving, and memory
Academic achievement testing where relevant
Structured play-based and observational assessment (for Autism evaluations)
A detailed written report with personalized recommendations
A feedback session to review results together and answer questions
Evaluation Fees
Testing is billed as a package covering all sessions, scoring, the written report, and the feedback session.
Cognitive (IQ) Evaluation $900
Clinical interview, Full Scale IQ, index scores and subtest breakdown, behavioral observations and tailored recommendations
ADHD Evaluation $1,200
Clinical interview with parent(s) and child, behavior rating scales, performance-based attention tasks, executive functioning assessment
Autism Evaluation (Ages 2+) $2,500
Developmental interview, record review, behavior rating scales, structured play-based and observational assessment
Comprehensive Evaluation $3,200
1-3 testing sessions, full developmental and educational history, cross-battery testing across cognitive, academic, behavioral, and emotional domains
Parent Guidance Consultation $400
75-minute session: brief clinical interview, screening tools as appropriate, summary of findings and next-step recommendations
FAQs
Q. Why might my child or I need an evaluation?
Consider testing if: your child is working hard but still struggling academically; teachers have raised concerns about attention, learning, or behavior; you've suspected ADHD, a learning difference, or autism but never had a formal assessment; or you're an adult who has spent years wondering why certain things feel disproportionately hard.
A referral can come from a therapist, pediatrician, teacher, or school — or directly from you. You don't need a referral to reach out.
Q. Is Testing Confidential?
Yes. Results are protected under confidentiality laws and shared only with your permission (or as legally required).
Q. What does a comprehensive evaluation involve?
A clinical interview to review history and current concerns; standardized cognitive and achievement testing; behavior rating scales completed by parents, teachers, and/or the client; direct observation; and in some cases, play-based assessment. The process is tailored to the referral question and the person being evaluated.
Q. How Long Will It Take?
Testing sessions range from 1–6+ hours, sometimes split across multiple days. The full process — from initial parent meeting to final report and feedback session — typically takes 4–8 weeks for comprehensive evaluations, or 3–4 weeks for focused screenings.
Q: What do I get at the end?
A detailed written report with Dr. Garza's findings, impressions, and specific recommendations for home, school, and therapy. Then a dedicated feedback session to walk through everything together so nothing gets lost in translation.