There are many reasons why it can be helpful to assess a child’s cognitive abilities:
Common referral questions for CHILD assessments:
- To diagnose learning difficulties and make recommendations to help?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses in learning, thinking and memory?
- What is the impact of learning and cognitive problems in the academic environment?
- Why is this child experiencing problems in school performance?
- To understand why a child may be experiencing trouble at school?
- To differentiate psychological symptoms with academic performance.
- What is the impact of a child’s diagnosis (e.g. ABI, autism, medical condition, psychiatric illness) on their thinking and memory skills?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses for a child eg with autism and how we can optimise their learning?
- Does this person meet eligibility criteria for access to disability supports or educational aids?
- What are the potential implications of cognitive difficulties for training or study?
- How we can help them a child to optimise their learning in their environment?
- Advice and strategies for managing memory or other cognitive difficulties
- Recommendations for treatment planning and support needs
- Assessment and advice regarding management of behaviours of concern (e.g. aggression, disinhibition, reduced initiation)
A Comprehensive Child assessment comprises 4 hours of testing (plus an interview with the parent/care giver), interpretation of the results, liaising with 3rd parties to obtain additional background information, a comprehensive and tailored report answering the referral question/s (provided about 2-3 weeks later), and a feedback session to provide results and outline helpful recommendations and treatment options to optimise functioning (8-10 hours of the Psychologist’s time). If you have had a previous assessment then please provide the details to our admin team as the psychologist would require copies of any previous assessments.
There are a range of tests for child assessments depending on the reason/s for the assessment. These are:
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) – is the new gold standard assessment tool designed to measure a child’s intellectual ability
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) – is a semi-structured assessment of communication, social interaction and play and restricted and repetitive behaviours
- Childhod Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) – helps identify children with autism and determine symptom severity through ratings and direct observation
- Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL-2) – completed by caregivers and/or teachers to identify problem behaviour in children
- Vineland -III – the leading instrument for supporting the diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) – is an individually administered measure of oral language, reading, written language and mathematics
- Children’s Memory Scale (CMS) – assessment of learning and a variety of memory dimensions
- A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY-II) – used in various combinations to assess neuropsychological development in children, to test cognitive functions not typically covered by general ability tests
Preparation for testing: Please bring along any questionnaires (Vineland or CBCL or both) that have been sent to you (and completed by you, the child’s guardian and/or the teacher). This will save time in the testing session and provide further valuable information about your child. It is not possible to prepare for the test itself however we would recommend a good nights sleep the night before, encourage your child to eat something before coming along and to bring along glasses if your child needs them and hearing aids if you use them. Bring along some snacks too for breaks. You are welcome to ask any questions you might have to the specific psychologist. Our admin team will also email or post to you an Information sheet about the assessment and other helpful information that you should read once you are scheduled in.
Fees and Availability:
The cost of a child assessment depends on factors including the purpose of the assessment, level of complexity, how much preparation is required, how many different tests are needed and the overall time spent. Please contact our admin team on 9872 6255 who can obtain the information required for the referral, understand your personal situation and needs and provide an initial cost estimation. A deposit is required to secure your booking and will be forfeited in the event of a short notice cancellation; a Payment Information form outlines the Conditions of Booking. At DS Psychology Group we aim to keep costs as low as possible in order for clients to access an effective service.
To discuss the needs of your child please call our admin team on 9872 6255 and we can take you through the process of what is needed.
DS Psychology Group Assessments for Children
Educational & Developmental Registrar
BA, GDip(Psych), MA(Psych), MPsych(Ed&Dev)
CLINICAL SPECIALTIES – Children, Teenagers and Youth, Cognitive Assessments
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(PhD; GDip Psych; BHMS; Dip Ed; MAPS; MBPS)
Dr John Ryan is an expert in cognitive and educational assessments. The assessments are primarily used to identify dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties (SLDs). The assessments are also used to identify the educational needs of children or to provide workplace adjustments for adults.
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BSc (Hons), DPsych (Clin Neuropsych)
Clinical Neuropsychologist providing neuropsychological assessments, counselling and reports for children, adolescents and adults
SPECIALTIES- Cross-cultural / Migration / Adjustment issues, Relaxation techniques, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotional awareness and regulation
BA / BSc (Hons.), PhD (Med. – Educational Psychology), M Ed & Dev Psych
SPECIALTIES – Children and youth, Academic stress, Anxiety, Parenting, IQ, Learning and autism assessments, and Cultural adjustment
MProf Psych, Grad Dip Psych, Grad Dip Psych Studies, MFamily Therapy, BSW.
MAPS (Assoc)
SPECIALTIES – families, trauma, addiction, couples, children, and cognitive assessments
(MAPS) (MASH)
BSc, Dip Inf Pro, TTTC
Senior clinical psychologist working with adults, adolescents, children, families and couples.
SPECIALTIES- Anxiety, Depression Phobias, Addictions, Hypnosis, Relationships (sexual and emotional difficulties), Stress and Trauma, Grief, Anger, Adolescents, Family problems, Cognitive assessments.
