Comprehensive Assessments
Why might my child need a comprehensive assessment?
A parent or professional may request an assessment when there are concerns about a child with questions relating to diagnosis, intervention, management and support
Examples of typical referrals for assessment include:
General academic concerns (e.g. Why is my child struggling to learn at school? Why is my child performing below expected levels at school? Does my child have global learning needs?)
Specific learning problems, for example with reading, writing or maths (e.g. Does my child have dyslexia?)
Social difficulties (e.g. Why is my child struggling with peers?)
Autism Spectrum Disorders (e.g. My child’s teacher has mentioned that he thinks my child might have some autistic traits, what does that mean? Does my child have autism?)
Anxiety (e.g. Why does my child get so anxious and distressed about things and what can I do about it?)
Attention and/or hyperactivity or difficulty concentrating (e.g. Why does my child find it difficult to focus? Why can my child not sit still? Why can my child not seem to control his/her actions? Does my child have ADD/ADHD?)
Behavioural concerns (e.g. Why is my child so oppositional? Why does my child have frequent/severe outbursts that affect our whole family? What can I do to stop them?)
Changes in ability due to physical health changes such as brain injury, illness, etc (e.g. Has the illness/injury caused my child’s abilities to change?)
Difficulties with memory (e.g. Why can my child never remember what I have told him, even for short period of time?)
Executive functioning problems (e.g. My child cannot plan or organise himself as well as his friends? My child can not seem to initiate anything, why?)
General understanding (e.g. I know my child has a diagnosis of ADHD/autism/intellectual disability, I want to understand what this means for them and how I might help him/her to reach their potential.)
The Assessment Process
What to expect from an assessment with a Clinical Psychologist?
Initial phonecall: You will speak to the clinical psychologist on the telephone where she will gather basic information about your concerns and gain a brief understanding of the situation. If she feels that she is the right person to help, she will explain how she works and propose an assessment plan. She will send you the suggested plan with an outline of fees via email. If you are happy with the suggested plan, arrangements will be made to undertake the initial assessment. If she does not feel in a position to assist, she will endeavour to signpost you to appropriate services.
Initial assessment session with parent/carer: This appointment may take place on the telephone, via video-calling or face to face, and the psychologist may wish to speak with you without your child being present. A detailed history will be taken in order to gain relevant background information and you will be asked to fill out questionnaires relating to your child’s behaviour and development.
Testing with your child: The psychologist will need to work directly with your child to undertake a comprehensive assessment. This typically takes place in a quiet space in your home so your child feels more comfortable. If you think it would be beneficial, in order to put your child at ease, the psychologist can write to your child to introduce herself prior to the first assessment session, or alternatively she could briefly speak to them on a voice or videocall.
The number and length of the assessment sessions will depend on the questions being asked and on the needs of your child. Depending on the age of your child and what is being investigated, the assessments themselves may resemble quizzes and puzzles, academic work, conversations, play or computer games.
Additional data collection: The psychologist may need to gather additional information from other sources, such as school or other people who know your child well. Sometimes class based observations are helpful. Your permission would always be sought prior to any work of this kind.
Feedback: The psychologist will score the questionnaires and assessments and collate all of the information that has been gathered. She will arrange a time to speak with you and your child (if appropriate) to explain the findings and how they are likely to impact on your child’s learning and/or behaviour. Strategies to support them will be discussed.
Report: A comprehensive report will be written. This will provide details of the assessments undertaken, the test results and recommendations for support accommodations and treatment. The report is designed to be used by parents, educators and other professionals.
Additional feedback: It can sometimes be useful for the psychologist to speak with school or care teams to explain the findings of the assessments and discuss how to implement recommendations.
What should I tell my child about the assessment?
We find it useful to be open and honest about the testing with children. We often explain how all children have things they are good at and things that they struggle with. We say that we want to see what s/he is good at so we can use these super skills to help with the things that are trickier. Please emphasize to them that there is no ‘pass and fail and s/he just needs to have a go and try their best. Please avoid telling them that they will be playing games.