I provide psychological evaluations for ADD/ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia), and more. If you or your child is struggling in school, I can help understand why and help chart a roadmap to success. Additionally, I regularly work with parents and school districts to complete Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs).
Psychological testing is simply this: figuring out why a student is struggling in school and/or at home. That's it. Yes, this typically involves a lot of detective work like interviewing parents to gain a thorough developmental history, getting feedback from teachers, considering social and emotional functioning, direct testing with a student, sometimes an observation, and it might involve a formal diagnosis of some kind.
Psychological testing is simply this: figuring out why a student is struggling in school and/or at home. That's it. Yes, this typically involves a lot of detective work like interviewing parents to gain a thorough developmental history, getting feedback from teachers, considering social and emotional functioning, direct testing with a student, sometimes an observation, and it might involve a formal diagnosis of some kind.
Services
I am a school psychologist who is passionate about teaming up with parents. I've worked in schools for nearly two decades, completed over 500 comprehensive evaluations, and led several school-based problem-solving teams to ensure that struggling students could thrive: academically, socially, and behaviorally.
I hear it all the time, "My kid has her nose in a book most of the day, she can't have ADD!" Sometimes it's, "He can build Legos all afternoon" or "He can sit in front of video games for hours, there's no way he's got ADHD!" But let me be clear: ADHD has nothing to do with paying attention to activities that kids or adults enjoy.
I know, it's a four-letter-word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. Math. Now, math can be hard for lots of people, but just because math is hard doesn't mean you have a learning disability in math. Yes, that's Dyscalculia, the fancy word for a learning disability in math. Some might say math Dyslexia, and that makes sense but, sorry, that's not what it's called.
Dysgraphia is like Dyslexia's cousin, it's a learning disability but in writing. Most of the time, when people think about Dysgraphia, they think about sloppy handwriting, but the truth is, there are a lot of ways and reasons that people struggle to write well-wait, let me re-phrase that-to write good enough.
Most people think Dyslexia is reversing letters-reading them out of order. Yes, this does happen, but it's only one symptom and a symptom that many people with Dyslexia don't even have. Reading is such a cognitively complex task-just think of all the things that we must do at once and with such ease and speed.
Reviews (8)
Kara N. Terry
Jul 24, 2021
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Mr. Shelley is very easy to work with. He is organized, responsive and thorough. He developed a quick rapport with my teenager which resulted in her trusting him with honest answers during our testing and interviews. His report was very detailed and extremely easy to read/understand. I would highly recommend Mr. Shelley to anyone that would like insight into their child's struggles.
Jessa Lucia
Dec 29, 2020
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Having worked with Wes in the public school setting, I could not recommend him more highly to families seeking to understand how their child learns. I have watched Wes empower students (and their parents) to feel successful as learners, even if they learn differently from their peers. Knowledgeable, professional, kind, and collaborative, Wes' calm demeanor puts everyone at ease as he seeks to help his clients.
Trisha Moya
Sep 07, 2020
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Having worked with Wes Shelley in school settings for many years, I would highly recommend him to any family who is hoping to better understand the learning process of their child. Wes brings a strong understanding of the research base in his field, an ability to clearly explain test results and their correct interpretations, and a kind demeanor that will instantly put you and your child at ease throughout the entire process. Wes has many years of experience in a variety of settings both private practice and school-based. He will listen first and then do everything he can to provide the informative
Beth White
Sep 01, 2020
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Wes Shelley is somehow both the consummate professional and also so easy to work with. He is knowledgeable, skilled, and focused when working with adolescent clients and with families and school staff. At the same time, he exudes compassion and support for students who are struggling with emotions, academics, behavior issues, or other concerns. I have worked closely with Wes through our School-Based Intervention Team, and I have always been impressed by his work and glad to partner with him to develop strategies to help kids.
Kay Huskins
Aug 28, 2020
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I supervised some of Wes’s work while in graduate school and then supervised his licensure process as a school psychologist. These experiences allowed me to become intimately familiar with Wes’s work quality and ethic. I have performed hundreds of psychological evaluations in my 33 years as a psychologist and supervised both advanced master’s and doctoral students in such work. Wes’s work is in the top 1% of students/professionals I have supervised and reviewed. In fact, I observed that his evaluations often surpassed my own! His reports are very thorough and customer-friendly. Wes cogently
Melanie Clore
Aug 10, 2020
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Wes came highly recommended from my son's Special Ed teacher at school, and I was first impressed with his informative yet easy-to-understand website. When I called him, he returned it promptly and he was so generous with his time and expertise in that initial call. The rest of the experience followed suit. He spent 8 full hours with our son over two days--there was no rock left unturned. The evaluation he wrote was much like his website: comprehensive, compassionate, and easy to follow. It's clear he genuinely cares about understanding the whole child and taking the time to understand their strengths
Michelle Williams
Jul 22, 2020
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Rebekah Saunders
Jun 24, 2020
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I have worked with Wes in several schools. At each school, parents, teachers, and administrators commented on his knowledge, demeanor, engagement, and thorough work. He has a way of navigating and communicating in difficult situations with students and parents. I would not hesitate to use his services for my own child!
