With a shortage of in-person school psychologists in Wyoming, job positions are often not filled before the start of the school year. A virtual school psychologist can help to temporarily alleviate this concern until an in-person candidate is found. This helps to balance the work load for current school psychologists within a district so that they are not overworked and burnt out.

Virtual psychoeducational evaluations work best for evaluations that do not need extensive in-person data collection or assessments that can only be conducted in-person (e.g., ADOS-2). This is ideal for file reviews and SLD evaluations, but could also work for other types of reevaluations depending on the unique student needs. I do not recommend virtually administered assessments for students who have extensive adaptive needs or cognitive deficits, students with hearing or vision impairments, or certain types of initial evaluations (e.g., autism, cognitive disability, emotional disability, etc.). I can also work with the in-person school psychologist to have some tests administered in-person, then use their testing results to complete the remainder of the evaluation remotely.

Virtual testing is ideal for middle and high school students who have the stamina and attention to complete a 45 minute to 1.5 hour testing session. Mid- to upper-elementary ages may also be a good fit if they demonstrate the necessary stamina and compliance. Decisions to utilize a virtual school psychologist should be made on a case-by-case basis by the in-person special education team. Furthermore, the special education team should work collaboratively with families to determine if a virtual psychoeducational assessment is a good fit for the student.

Observation data from the virtual testing session will be included in the psychoeducational report. It is recommended that the in-person case manager/special education teacher or a paraprofessional also conduct a classroom observation that can be included in the report.

I can administer full cognitive assessments (WISC-V, WAIS-IV) and brief cognitive assessments (KBIT-2 Revised). I also utilize digital rating scales to assess executive functioning, social-emotional functioning, adaptive functioning, autism symptomology, ADHD symptomology, ED characteristics, and more. At the end of each contract, I will mail all physical protocols to your district office to be filed.

Always! I will attend each evaluation meeting via videoconference (e.g., Zoom or Teams), explain all assessment results, and answer any questions the team may have. I encourage case managers to print my reports ahead of time so that we can all follow along as I review the data graphs, but I can also utilize the screen-sharing tool to project my graphs and data.

If a district has yet to fill an in-person position or needs additional help for the school year, I recommend signing a contract prior to any start-of-the-year professional development or staff work days (i.e., prior to the first day of school for students). These days are perfect for holding meetings with school psychologists, case managers, and special education leadership to get to know one another, discuss procedures and district policies, establish routines, and answer any questions.

Yes, you can absolutely end the contract mid-year with no penalties or fees! I will send a final invoice for all services rendered, and job duties can then be transferred to your in-person school psychologist.