Assessment Services
Understanding your child, fully
Children are always developing towards adulthood, so a developmental assessment is a key part of knowing how best to help.
- Who it is for
- Children who need a clear picture of their development, learning or cognitive profile, often recommended after a consultation or by a school.
- Duration
- Varies by assessment
- Fee
- Contact us for fees
Developmental assessment
A complete picture of your child
A developmental assessment is a structured evaluation of your child's development. A comprehensive assessment covers the key domains: physical, social, emotional, moral and intellectual.
Depending on its nature, an assessment usually involves several members of our multidisciplinary team, such as a behaviour analyst, psychologist, occupational therapist and speech pathologist, and often means seeing your child in different settings.
Understanding the different assessments, procedures and tools available helps you see which areas can be assessed and where help can be offered. Our clinical psychologist, behaviour analyst, speech and language therapist and associates carry out a range of assessments, described below.
Academic assessment
What is a psychoeducational (academic) assessment?
A psychoeducational assessment can identify learning challenges in students of all ages, from young children to adults.
It is a detailed assessment of a child's psychological and academic skills, using specialised tests and tasks. The exact tests depend on the reason for the assessment, and additional tests are sometimes needed.
Tools we may use include the Wide Range Achievement Test (5th Edition), the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Slosson Diagnostic Screening tool (English and Mathematics), alongside specific IQ tools.
An academic assessment looks at
- Planning and executive functioning
- Learning
- Attention and concentration
- Reading, including phonics and reading comprehension
- Spelling and writing
- Academic fluency: speed of reading, writing and calculating
- Mathematics
- Listening comprehension
Cognitive assessment
What is a cognitive (IQ) assessment?
Cognitive assessments, or intelligence tests, help us understand a child's learning capability by identifying their cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
When combined with full background information and interviews with parents and teachers, the results build a profile that guides individualised intervention and learning plans.
Cognitive assessments with children require standardised psychometric tools, administered by experienced, accredited psychologists.
Areas a cognitive assessment can measure
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Verbal comprehension
Using a range of vocabulary to understand and express general knowledge and explain ideas.
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Visual spatial
Evaluating visual details and understanding how shapes and spaces relate.
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Fluid reasoning
Using ideas drawn from visual details and applying that knowledge to new problems.
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Working memory
Learning, holding and working with information to complete new tasks.
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Processing speed
Quickly taking in visual information and making judgements about it.
Sensory assessment
Understanding how your child experiences the world
Our occupational therapists assess how your child processes sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, balance and body awareness. This shows whether sensory differences are affecting attention, behaviour or daily life.
The results shape a personal sensory diet and sensory circuits, described on our Occupational Therapy page.
Not sure which assessment your child needs?
Start with a consultation. We will recommend the right assessments and explain every step.