Psychological Assessments
Completing one or more of the following psychological assessments assists in identifying your child's strengths and vulnerabilities. This information is used to guide the support and strategies that will be recommended for home and school. The information is also used in determining whether or not the child meets criteria for a formal diagnosis, such as Specific Learning Disorder or ADHD. Selection of components for the comprehensive assessment is made following the parent intake session, which is the first step in any assessment. During this session the psychologist asks many questions about the child's developmental and educational history and current areas of difficulty.
Cognitive assessment
Cognitive abilities, commonly thought of as 'intelligence', are thinking and problem solving skills which are thought to be somewhat inherent to the child. Verbal comprehension skills, visual spatial skills, fluid reasoning (nonverbal problem solving), working memory, processing speed and phonological processing are all explored as part of a cognitive assessment. Strengths and weaknesses in particular cognitive skills can be reflected in academic performance. Tools used to measure cognitive abilities include:
Academic achievement
Achievement across a range of academic areas including reading, writing, mathematics and oral language can be measured in order to determine how a child is performing compared with others the same age or year level. Tools used to measure academic achievement include:
Adaptive behaviour
Adaptive behaviours are the skills needed for everyday living, such as communication, interpersonal skills, personal care, and leisure. These skills are measured via parent and teacher feedback forms. Tools used to measure adaptive behaviour include:
Executive functioning
Executive functions include attention, planning, organisation, and emotion regulation. Direct observation, parent interview and parent and teacher questionnaires are used to assess executive functioning. Difficulties with executive functioning can have a huge impact on many areas of a child's life, such as their academic achievement, friendships, family relationships, and their self esteem. Tools used to measure executive functioning include:
Social emotional behavioural
A child's behaviour patterns and thoughts and feelings can be assessed by direct interaction and with parent, teacher and self report forms. Tools used to measure social-emotional-behavioural functioning include: