Psychological Assessment
Cathryne offers a range of psychological assessments to identify autism, ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), learning and intellectual disabilities, and giftedness in children and adolescents to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of your child’s strengths, challenges, and areas of growth.
What is Psychological Assessment?
The purpose of psychological assessment is to gather accurate and comprehensive information about a person’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning. It may involve the use of standardized tests, interviews, observations, and questionnaires to evaluate various aspects of an individual’s mental health, developmental milestones, learning abilities, personality traits, and social and emotional well-being. Information is usually obtained from several sources, including parents or caregivers, teachers or tutors, and the child/adolescent themselves.
Psychological assessments serve several important purposes
Identification and Diagnosis: Psychological assessments are used to identify and diagnose various mental health conditions, developmental disorders, learning disabilities, and intellectual abilities. This diagnostic information helps guide treatment planning and intervention strategies.
Treatment Planning: Assessments provide valuable insights into an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas of growth. This information is crucial in developing personalised treatment plans that target specific needs and goals.
Intervention and Support: Psychological assessments are a vital part of developing effective intervention strategies. They provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s functioning, allowing psychologists to tailor therapeutic approaches and support systems to meet their unique needs.
Educational Planning: Assessments can help identify learning difficulties, giftedness, and other educational needs. This information is essential for schools and educators to develop appropriate educational plans, accommodations, and support services.
Monitoring Progress: Assessments serve as a baseline measure for monitoring an individual’s progress over time. By conducting follow-up assessments, psychologists can track changes in functioning and determine the effectiveness of interventions and treatments.
The purpose of the parent interview is to obtain background information, current concerns and to develop an assessment plan. Please bring copies of any recent reports to this first session (e.g. school report cards for the last 3 years, speech therapy reports, occupational therapy reports, and hearing and vision reports).
Assessments are completed in 2-3 hour sessions, usually in the morning. The length of these appointments depends on the assessment and age of the child/adolescent. Breaks will be scheduled during the appointment, so please bring a drink and snack.
To allow your child/adolescent to perform at their best, Cathryne recommends having a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast prior to assessment sessions. Your child/adolescent should also take any prescribed medication as usual (e.g., medication for ADHD).
If your child is sick on the assessment day, it is highly advisable to reschedule the assessment to a day when they are feeling better in order to get the most reliable and accurate results.
Assessment sessions are completed individually in a quiet room, free from distractions. Parents who accompany their child for assessment are encouraged to wait in the waiting room, enjoy a snack at the local café or (for adolescents) return at a specified time.
After the assessments have been completed, the results are compiled, reviewed, and interpreted by Cathryne. Then she will prepare a comprehensive report.
The report will be provided to you at the feedback session where Cathryne will discuss the results of the assessment and her recommendations. Recommendations in the report will make suggestions about which allied health services, activities, programs, adjustments and accommodations at school and/or at home may be beneficial for your child. The report will be useful for parents/caregivers to give to the school, allied health services, paediatrician, etc. so that your child can be well supported. On occasion further assessments may be recommended based on the results of the completed assessments. Cathryne will let you know if this necessary.