What is a Psychological Assessment?
What's involved?
Assessments include a clinical intake, testing to objectively evaluate a range of skills such as intellectual abilities, executive functioning, memory, processing speed, academic skills and attention. In addition, psychometric informant rating scales are administered (to caregivers and teacher if relevant) to explore functioning across settings.
All information is considered to determine a formal diagnosis (if criteria is met).
The Benefits of a Psychological Assessment
A neurodevelopmental assessment comprehensively provides a detailed profile of an individual's cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills to identify conditions like Autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities to create tailored support plans, that can improve academic performance and optimise overall functioning. Key reasons for pursuing an assessment include:
- Diagnosis of Specific Conditions: To determine if difficulties are secondary to conditions such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), intellectual disabilities, or mental illness.
- Understanding Strengths and Challenges: The assessment identifies both areas of difficulty and underlying strengths.
- Accessing Support and Services: A formal diagnosis can help with accessing learning support, and NDIS funding.
- Addressing Functional Impairments: It helps understand behaviours that are persistent, long-standing, and causing significant issues in school, home, or social settings.
- Improving Developmental Outcomes: Early identification allows for early intervention, which can improve long-term outcomes.
- Guiding Medical and Behavioural Approaches: The findings help professionals, such as paediatricians or psychologists, determine the most appropriate treatment, including potential medication or other allied health intervention therapy.
Consider Before Booking
Diagnosis is based on patterns across tests + history + clinical judgment.
There may be an expectation that assessment will lead to a particular diagnosis, but this is not guaranteed. Diagnosis must align with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 TR) to determine whether criteria has been met.
If a diagnosis is not determined, recommendations and strategies will still be given to help address the presenting problem.
Assessment findings will be thoroughly explained at the feedback session.