Psychological Testing for Children, Teens, and Adults
We specialize in psychological testing.
Psychological testing covers a wide range of disorders and diagnoses. Clients seek out testing to understand why they are struggling in certain aspects of life or school and how to get help. At Bloom, our goal in completing testing is to provide an accurate diagnosis and develop a personalized, data-driven plan of action. Assessments are individually tailored to identify each client’s unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses, clarify diagnosis, inform treatment planning, and identify appropriate interventions.
Dr. Tarbox and Dr. Ridel conduct testing for ages 4 to 55 in several areas, including:
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (e.g., ADHD/ADD)
Learning Disorders (including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia)
Anxiety Disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, phobias)
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Behavioral Disorders (e.g., oppositional defiant disorder)
Mood Disorders (e.g., childhood depression, bipolar disorder)
Personality Assessment
Adoption Evaluations
Documentation of Disability for High Stakes Tests (e.g., ACT, SAT, and other admissions or licensing tests)
Psychological Testing is a four-step process:
We understand that when patients reach the point of pursuing testing, they are yearning for answers and have often, in a sense, been waiting for months or even years already. Our psychologists arrange their schedules to make testing a priority and to ensure testing is completed and the report is in your hands in a timely fashion.
Intake Appointment
During your intake, your psychologist will conduct a review of current concerns and social-developmental history, as well as a review of relevant documents (e.g., results of previous testing, report cards). Your psychologist will discuss the evaluation plan with you, and you’ll receive a detailed testing plan that includes the expected cost of testing to review and sign before the evaluation is scheduled.
Evaluation
Testing typically takes 2 – 8 hours and may be split into multiple appointments depending on the scope of testing and the client. We have evening and weekend appointments available to allow you to schedule your testing at a time that is convenient for you.
We believe that comprehensive evaluations are essential to developing a data-driven plan of action for our clients. Our evaluations include tests that cannot be billed to insurance and, as such, every evaluation will have a self-pay cost. Your financial responsibility will vary depending on whether you are using insurance and your specific insurance plan. Please see our Rates page for more information.
Testing Feedback Session
Your psychologist reviews the testing results, explaining each aspect of the testing in detail. You will also discuss the psychologist’s diagnostic impressions and receive detailed information regarding what interventions and accommodations are recommended. We pride ourselves on giving you a wealth of information about how to put what we learn through the evaluation process to good use!
Written Report
A detailed report with testing results, diagnostic summary, and personalized recommendations will be provided for your records. You may wish to share the report with your physician or therapist as part of your treatment plan.
What happens after testing?
Your psychologist will provide specific recommendations regarding your next steps based on the testing results. These may include:
Beginning individual therapy to work on coping strategies and implement interventions
Meeting with the school to establish an IEP or 504 plan
Connecting you to resources to address significant weaknesses noted in the testing results (e.g., recommending specific research-based interventions and specialized tutoring programs)
Referrals to other providers for adjunctive services (e.g., occupational, physical, or speech/language therapy)
Coordinating care with your physician or psychiatrist
Understanding the Cost of Testing
We want families to feel informed and confident before beginning an evaluation. In this brief video, we’ll explain what goes into psychological testing, what insurance may cover, and what sets Bloom apart—so you’ll know exactly what to expect throughout the process.
Testing for Children & Teens
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Parents often have concerns about their child’s performance in school or their behavior. Maybe your child’s teacher has expressed concerns, or your physician has recommended psychological testing. Maybe someone is recommending medication, and you are wondering if this is right for your child. Or perhaps your child is already taking medication, and you’re not sure if it’s helping. If you feel like your child is not meeting his or her potential, we are here to figure out the cause of the problem and develop a plan to address it. We do this through the most innovative and comprehensive psychological assessments in the field.
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School districts conduct psychoeducational assessments, which typically include only cognitive and academic testing. School psychologists cannot make diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is the manual used by psychologists to diagnose anxiety disorders, ADHD, specific learning disorders, depression, and other disorders; rather, school psychologists classify a student’s functioning in terms of educational labels.
Even if a child has had a recent school evaluation, additional testing is often helpful to determine if there are any concerns regarding a student’s social, emotional, behavioral, or sensory functioning, as well as various domains not assessed within the school environment (e.g., attention, executive functioning, memory, and visuospatial functioning).
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At Bloom, we conduct psychological testing for children ages 4 and up.
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• Is my child’s diagnosis correct?
• Are my child’s behaviors age-appropriate, or is something wrong?
• Does my child have any emotional concerns (anxiety, depression)?
• How can I help my child learn more effectively?
• Is my child ready for preschool/kindergarten?
• How do I know if my child has ADHD?
• Is my child on the autism spectrum?
• Did that head injury hurt my child’s brain?
• Does my child have a learning disability?
All of these questions can be addressed through a comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Tarbox or Dr. Ridel.
Testing for Adults
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Many adults move through life knowing something isn't quite right with their attention, memory, or relationships without understanding what exactly has made life a struggle. Cognitive testing can answer many questions about how you process information, such as whether your verbal or nonverbal skills are better developed. Our evaluation process also identifies strengths and weaknesses in your executive functioning, which includes working memory, planning, organization, attention, focus, flexibility in thinking, and problem solving. Gaining an understanding of how your brain functions can assist you in strategically changing aspects of daily life to emphasize strengths and overcome weaknesses.
Personality and emotional/behavioral testing creates a valuable framework for understanding how you relate to others, to yourself, and to the world, as well as determining how these dynamics impact your daily life, including social, work, and family interactions. Such information can be especially helpful for therapists who can use personality data to formulate more individualized and specific treatment plans to optimize your experience in therapy and improve outcomes.
All of these questions can be addressed through a comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Tarbox or Dr. Ridel.
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• Is my diagnosis correct?
• My psychiatrist and I are struggling to find the right medication. Are we treating the correct underlying disorder?
• Are there problems with my attention that have been making life such a struggle?
• My therapist and I need some guidance about treatment goals. Can testing uncover ways to make therapy more effective?
All of these questions can be addressed through a comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Tarbox or Dr. Ridel.
General Testing Questions
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The first step in the evaluation process is an intake appointment, which has a set fee (see current rates here). During this appointment, your psychologist will learn about your concerns, gather background information, and recommend a personalized testing plan. Because every evaluation is tailored to the individual, the total cost of testing varies depending on the assessments needed.
You will have the opportunity to review your psychologist’s recommended testing plan—including the estimated total cost—before deciding whether to move forward. At the time of scheduling, you are only committing to the intake appointment; no testing fees are due until you approve the plan and schedule your testing session.
The total cost of testing typically ranges between $2,000 and $4,250. Depending on your insurance plan, we are often able to bill about half of this cost to insurance. However, insurance does not cover all components of a comprehensive evaluation. Every evaluation will have a minimum self-pay cost of $855.
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Our evaluations are known throughout the community to be high quality, detailed, and comprehensive. That’s why we regularly receive referrals for psychological testing from physicians representing a variety of specialties, including pediatrics, neurology, and psychiatry; school psychologists and counselors; teachers; and professional tutors. Just as important to us are the referrals we receive from families we’ve worked with who have recommended us to their friends and family. We strive to make psychological testing a positive and hopeful process.
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A ROAD MAP
Our testing reports begin where others end: diagnosis. What distinguishes a Bloom evaluation is the wealth of information that follows the diagnostic section. Based on the client’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses, we will recommend specific interventions and accommodations to implement in the home and in school/work settings. These accommodations aim to help the client fully access the educational curriculum and perform to the best of her/his ability. At home, our recommendations address concerns that are making everyday life more stressful and challenging, with the goal of promoting a positive, calm family atmosphere. If you’re a parent who has sought out testing for your child, we’ll let you know what you can do to help your child meet her/his potential, and how to modify aspects of your parenting style given your child’s needs. Essentially, our evaluations provide a road map to guide you and your family.
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To schedule an initial intake appointment to discuss testing with Dr. Tarbox or Dr. Ridel, please follow the steps to schedule a New Client Appointment here. Please note we do not require a formal referral from a physician or school to schedule an evaluation with our team.
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Dr. Tarbox is paneled with Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, and Community/ProHealth.
Dr. Ridel is paneled with Anthem.
We do not accept Medicaid, Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect, or Indiana PathWays for Aging plans.
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When our psychologists join an insurance panel, they sign a contract agreeing to abide by their policies. The testing codes we use at Bloom only apply to tests that are administered in our office. Therefore, we cannot bill the rating scales to insurance. The rating scales are forms you’ll complete to provide detailed information regarding symptoms in the home, school, and/or work settings; these are completed online.
Additionally, if there are concerns related to learning that require academic achievement testing, that portion of testing is self-pay as well. It’s considered educational in nature, and it doesn’t meet medical necessity criteria. When we know something isn’t covered by insurance, it would be unethical to submit those charges.
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We require 48 hours' notice to reschedule or cancel a testing appointment. If you reschedule or cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, you will owe a late cancellation fee equal to 25% of your total testing fee. This fee is not covered by insurance.
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At Bloom, we’ve thoughtfully designed our space to be modern, calm, and comfortable for children, teens, and adults. Whether you’re visiting for testing or an intake appointment for you or your child, we want you to feel at ease. Watch a short tour of our office here to get a feel for what to expect when you walk through our doors.
Grow with Bloom, today!
Complete our New Client Request Form to set up an appointment.
After you complete the form, you’ll receive an email from us via SimplePractice (our EMR) to setup your Client Portal access and complete our intake forms online.
Once you’ve completed all the required forms, we’ll email you to schedule an initial appointment.
