Our Services

Psycho-educational assessment aids in the identification and/or treatment of potential learning challenges in young children and youth. These psychological services are covered under most medical health plans when supervised through Dr Stephen Barker.

What Should I Expect From a Psycho-educational Screening of My Child’s Reading Development?

• STEP ONE in the process is an interview with the child’s parents to discuss their reasons for the assessment and their concerns. A comprehensive questionnaire; collecting background information about your child will then be completed by you.
• STEP TWO is the actual assessment of your child, which will involve the administration of various psychometric tests examining your child’s overall reading development, along with various cognitive measures. A review of your child’s history, the questionnaires, and analysis of the results will provide direction for treatment. A comprehensive report will be prepared with recommendations to ensure that appropriate interventions are put in place to support your child’s learning profile.
• STEP THREE is a meeting with the parents to discuss the assessment findings and our recommendations for a treatment plan.

 

Intervention services at the centre involve the remediation or enrichment of literacy skills such as reading, writing, and comprehension to children between the ages of 6 and 17 years old. Customized treatment objectives are selected to meet the specific needs of your child’s learning profile. These objectives, focusing on areas requiring further development, will be addressed through one on one sessions at the clinic or within the school environment. Although research has shown some positive results in small group instruction, our experience has shown us that one on one sessions is the optimal environment to teach individual skills and support each child’s direct needs. Treatment sessions are typically an hour in duration based upon a pre-determined schedule of frequency, days, and times.

 

Teen Literacy Support. 

For many students, the teenage years are a difficult time of adjustment with the influx of academic expectations and the anticipation of preparing for post-secondary studies. Let us support your children with developing the skills to be an effective reader and writer. Sessions promote the development of: proof reading and editing skills, essay writing, and critical thinking when interpreting text.

Intervention services provided by the Literacy Centre in many circumstances may be claimed under extended health benefit plans. Stephen Barker, Ph.D., C. Psych. supervises treatment services at the Literacy Centre. Please inquire within to learn more about this option.

 

EQAO (grades 3 and 6) and Grade 10 Literacy preparation available. 

For many children, EQAO testing provokes great anxiety and undue stress. It is a time in which students often feel worried that they may not perform well due to feeling ill-prepared for the task. At the centre, we provide explicit teaching of text interpretation, which enable students to be confident and successful with EQAO. Our instructors focus on the enhancement of critical thinking skills, reading for meaning, grammatical style in short answer responses, and long answer report writing formats. The goal in any teaching is to give our children the tools to be independent, critical thinkers.

The preschool years are an important time to set the foundation for later academic learning and success through a language-rich environment and the introduction of early literacy skills . Here, at the centre, we pride ourselves in addressing the pre-literacy needs of children, ages 3-5, through individual or small group (1:4 ratio) play sessions. Pre-literacy skills involve the teaching of alphabet knowledge, sound/letter correspondence, sound and word segmentation, and vocabulary building exercises. Sessions are presented in a fun and interactive environment, which peaks young children’s interest in learning to read and play with words.

 

ENROL YOUR CHILD NOW to ensure your child has a strong foundation in phonemic awareness so he or she may be a successful reader entering grade one.

Addressing concerns of your child’s behavior, learning, social, emotional, or cognitive development.

A complete psycho-educational assessment of your child’s full development may provide you with some answers to your questions about his or her learning and behavior. Dr. Stephen Barker, a registered psychologist, may be of assistance to you in carrying out a comprehensive psycho-educational or psychological assessment of your child’s strengths and challenges. Please feel free to contact Dr. Stephen Barker with any inquiries or to book a consultation about your child’s needs.

 

Stephen Barker, Ph.D., C. Psych.
Please feel free to contact Dr Stephen Barker.
drstevebarker@outlook.com