If your child is nearing adulthood and you’re unsure whether a capacity assessment is required, a free 15-minute consultation call can help clarify next steps.
When Adulthood Approaches, Families Need Clarity—Not Guesswork
As a young person with a developmental disability approaches adulthood, families are often faced with important and emotionally weighty questions:
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Will my child be able to make certain decisions independently?
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Where will they need support—and where should their autonomy be preserved?
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What legal steps are required to protect their care, finances, and future?
At age 18, the law assumes full decision-making capacity. For individuals with intellectual disabilities or significant developmental delays, this legal shift can create uncertainty and risk if supports are not clearly established in advance.
A capacity assessment provides the clinical clarity required to make thoughtful, lawful, and compassionate decisions about guardianship or trusteeship—without removing more independence than is necessary.
At Eckert Centre, we understand that these decisions are not just legal—they are deeply relational and protective. Our role is to help families determine where support is truly needed, where independence can be honoured, and how to move forward with confidence and care.
What a Capacity Assessment Evaluates—and Why It Is Different
A capacity assessment is not a general psychological or educational evaluation. It is a focused, legally informed assessment that examines whether an individual can make specific types of decisions—and where support is required.
Capacity is decision-specific, not global. A person may be able to make some decisions independently while needing support in others. Our role is to assess this carefully and respectfully.
A capacity assessment may evaluate decision-making ability in areas such as:
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Health care and medical decisions
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Personal care and daily living needs
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Living arrangements
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Financial decision-making
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Legal understanding and consent
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Education, employment, and vocational planning
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Community participation and safety
Rather than asking whether someone is “capable” or “incapable,” we assess how decisions are understood, how information is processed, and what supports meaningfully improve understanding and safety.
This distinction matters. Capacity assessments are used to inform guardianship and trusteeship applications, and the conclusions carry legal and long-term implications. For this reason, the work must be careful, specific, and grounded in professional judgment—not assumptions or diagnosis alone.
At Eckert Centre, capacity assessments are conducted by psychologists with deep experience in developmental disabilities and intellectual functioning, ensuring conclusions are both clinically sound and legally appropriate.
Who Capacity Assessments Are For
A capacity assessment at Eckert Centre is typically sought by families when a young person with developmental disabilities is approaching adulthood and there are questions about decision-making support.
This assessment is often appropriate when:
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A child with an intellectual disability or significant developmental delay is nearing 17–18 years old
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Parents are unsure whether guardianship or trusteeship will be required in one or more areas
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There is a need for court-ready documentation that meets legal and professional standards
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A comprehensive psychological or psychoeducational assessment has already been completed within the past three years
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Families want guidance that balances protection, dignity, and autonomy
Capacity assessments are not about removing independence unnecessarily. They are about understanding where support is genuinely needed and where a person can continue to make decisions with or without assistance.
This assessment helps ensure that supports are appropriately matched, legally sound, and respectful of the individual’s abilities.
How Capacity Assessments Are Conducted at Eckert Centre
Capacity assessments at Eckert Centre are designed to be careful, respectful, and developmentally informed.
We understand that these assessments often occur during an emotionally significant transition—for both the individual and their family—and we approach the process with clarity and care.
Our capacity assessments are led by senior psychologists and focus specifically on the decision-making questions required for guardianship or trusteeship applications.
1. Clarifying the Legal and Functional Question
We begin by understanding:
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What decisions need to be assessed
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What legal application is being considered
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What supports are already in place
This ensures the assessment is properly scoped and aligned with legal requirements from the outset.
2. Reviewing Prior Assessment Information
When a comprehensive psychological or psychoeducational assessment has been completed within the past three years, we build on that foundation rather than repeating testing. This allows us to:
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Preserve continuity
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Reduce unnecessary burden
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Focus on capacity-specific questions
3. Evaluating Decision-Making in Real Life
Through clinical interviews, observation, and structured discussion, we assess how the individual:
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Understands information relevant to decisions
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Appreciates consequences
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Communicates preferences
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Uses supports when available
We pay close attention to how capacity changes with appropriate supports, not just how someone performs without them.
4. Integrating Findings and Preparing Documentation
Findings are interpreted using senior clinical judgment and applied to the legal standards for capacity, not just clinical impressions. Required documentation is completed carefully, recognizing the weight these opinions carry.
Throughout the process, families are kept informed and supported, with clear explanations of findings and next steps.
Capacity Assessment Pricing & Clinical Scope
$1,430 (Billed at an hourly rate of $260)
This capacity assessment is designed for families who have already completed a comprehensive psychological or psychoeducational assessment within the past three years, prior to the individual turning 18.
In these cases, the purpose of the assessment is not to repeat testing or re-evaluate diagnosis. Instead, it provides the specific, legally required clinical opinion needed to support guardianship or trusteeship applications.
What This Assessment Is — and Is Not
This assessment:
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Builds on existing, recent assessment data
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Focuses specifically on decision-making capacity and functional understanding relevant to legal applications
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Meets court and application requirements for timing, documentation, and professional responsibility
This assessment does not:
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Re-administer full cognitive or academic testing
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Duplicate previous diagnostic work
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Replace the need for a comprehensive assessment when one has not been completed recently
Because the foundational assessment work has already been done, this service is intentionally narrower in scope, while still requiring careful clinical judgment.
What Your Fee Reflects
Although this assessment involves fewer hours than a full comprehensive evaluation, it requires focused senior-level clinical reasoning and documentation that carries legal weight.
Your fee reflects approximately 5.5 hours of professional psychological work, including:
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Detailed file review of prior assessments to ensure conclusions are grounded and consistent
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Clinical interviews with the individual and parent(s), focused on real-world functioning and decision-making
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Application of professional judgment to legal standards for capacity, not just clinical observations
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Accurate completion of required capacity assessment forms
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Oversight and support from a senior psychologist to ensure ethical and professional standards are met
Capacity assessments influence legal responsibility, financial protection, and long-term planning. This work cannot be rushed or treated as a formality.
Please note that prices are subject to change. The final price may vary depending on the individual's specific needs and presentation.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re ready to move forward—or still figuring out what level of assessment is right—we invite you to start with a conversation.
A free consultation call with a psychologist allows us to:
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Understand your questions and concerns
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Ensure the right type of assessment is selected
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Clarify scope, timing, and fees before you commit
This step helps protect you from unnecessary testing and ensures the assessment truly fits what you’re hoping to understand.
Ways to Connect With Us
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Book a Free Consultation Call (recommended first step)
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Submit a Contact Form if you prefer written communication
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Call Us: 403-230-2959
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Email: info@eckert-psychology.com
Our team is here to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and a plan that makes sense.
