Inside My Brain During a Psychoeducational Evaluation: What School Psychologists Look For in Reading Comprehension + Recall

Inside My Brain During a Psychoeducational Evaluation: What School Psychologists Look For in Reading Comprehension + Recall If your child can read the words but can't tell you what they just read—and homework turns into a fight—this episode is for you. Dr. Amy Patenaude takes you inside her brain during a psychoeducational evaluation and shows what school psychologists are actually watching for in reading comprehension + recall, especially in 1st–2nd grade. You'll walk away with a simple framework (hello, 813), a Velcro-vs-Teflon way to think about "it didn't stick," and a 7-day experiment you can use to get clearer answers fast. In this episode you'll learn Why a psychoeducational evaluation is not a "verdict" (it's translation + detective work) The Velcro vs. Teflon reading metaphor for kids who can decode but can't hold onto meaning The 813 framework: the 8 silent questions an evaluator is tracking in real time, and the 3 big buckets that explain the pattern How to tell the difference between a comprehension issue and a recall/output load issue What "We don't see that here" often means—and how to respond without arguing Exactly what to ask for at school so support is specific (not "more time" and vibes) Tiny Wins to try this week Run the 7-day reading experiment: compare answering questions with the text available (text-referenced) vs. without looking back (memory-only). Use "mastery sampling" for comprehension: fewer questions, same depth (one straightforward, one vocab-in-context, one main idea/inference). Try one scaffold one time: preview 1–2 questions before reading or do a one-sentence "gist" after each paragraph. Start a tiny clue log: what task, what demand (more language? more output? end-of-day fatigue?), what helped. Use this school script: "Can we compare text-referenced vs memory-only answering, reduce question load for 7–10 days, and track accuracy, prompts needed, and independence?" Pick one. One is enough. Free resources Boredom Buster Guide — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/boredomebusterguide Big Feeling Decoder — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/bigfeelingsdecoder 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/aiprompts4parents Disclaimer "This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area."