ASSESSMENTS
Bookings are currently available for assessments.
We offer assessment for children and adolescents from the age of 10 years old through to adults. Our assessments are designed to identify and where appropriate diagnose a range of concerns from difficulties with attention (ADHD/ADD) through to Autism, and learning difficulties (like dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia). Assessments are tailored to the individual and reports incorporate details of your unique presentation to explain your experience.
Our psychologists employ a wide array of scientifically validated tools to capture the diverse facets of psychological health, providing a broad understanding of the individual’s psychological presentation. Not all assessments will lead to a diagnosis.
TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS OFFERED:
We offer a range of assessments for identifying learning difficulties/disorders, as well as ADHD and autism assessments. There are a number of options with these assessments which are discussed in your intake session with the psychologist to determine the most appropriate options.
Cognitive Assessment
Cognitive assessments measure how you think, learn and remember. It can help identify strengths and weaknesses in areas such as memory, problem-solving, verbal and quantitative reasoning. These assessments can be used to identify aptitude (IQ) and assist with understanding the suggested methods for learning.
Assessments involve the use of a WAIS/WISC and may often be accompanied by a WIAT (for younger people) to provide a summary of strengths and weaknesses to aid in understanding difficulties or giftedness.
Learning/Educational Assessments
An academic assessment measures various aspects of school-work such as word reading fluency, comprehension, listening, oral expression, spelling, writing and maths.
A learning assessment is an examination of cognitive functioning, covering areas such as learning and memory, attention, language, visuospatial abilities, speed of information processing, executive functioning behaviour and an academic assessment.
Basic learning assessments can be completed to follow up a previous assessment or screen for specific learning issues. A more comprehensive learning assessment will involve more in depth measures such as the WAIS/WISC and WIAT (cognitive and academic measures). This combination is used to determine a person’s cognitive strengths and specific areas of challenges. This information is then used to generate targeted recommendations.
Neurodiversity (ADHD/Autism) Assessments
A neurodiversity assessment is a comprehensive psychosocial assessment aimed at identifying neurodiversity such as autism and ADHD. Neurodivergence includes, but is not limited to, differences in a person’s interpersonal & social style, communication, time management, organisation, memory, concentration, perception, and processing skills.
Research tells us that there can often be overlap between ADHD, Autism and Specific Learning Difficulties (SLDs). It can be beneficial to undertake a comprehensive assessment to better understand these neurodiverse brains and their unique strengths and challenges.
Assessing for neurodiversity may involve use of the MIGDAS-2 and WAIS/WISC along with other questionnaires from different perspectives.. The inclusion of cognitive testing provides a clearer understanding of your presentation and allows for a more in depth profile to be provided. The results of these measures are interpreted along with consideration of developmental history and education/occupational functioning, to explore differences often experienced by neurodivergent individuals.
Assessment Clinic
Throughout December and January we will be holding our Assessment Clinic.
Several assessment places are available with our psychologist during the Assessment Clinic to make use of the holiday period with students being available throughout the day.
Assessments and reports will be completed in order to provide to schools at the start of the academic year. Targeted recommendations will be included in each assessment which may assist with applications for accommodations / special provisions (VCE).
Early bookings are encouraged in order to collect information from teachers prior to the end of the school year.
ASSESSMENTS FEES
We offer a number of individualised assessments. A personal quote will be provided based on the needs and aims of the assessment and report. The options will be presented to you during the intake session. The number of assessment measures required including the time required to both administer and interpret will affect the cost, along with the requirements of the report.
The quote provided by the psychologist will only vary if you decide to complete additional measures, or if the time required is less than estimated.
We charge as you go to ensure that the payments are more manageable. This also ensures that your psychologist is paid for their time. A part payment is required for the report to be started and the remaining payment for the report is required before the feedback session.
Costs are broken down by the time required for your psychologist to complete the assessments and write the report.
Costs Cover:
Intake Session – includes your attendance for the session to collect your history, as well as reviewing the information that you provide in the pre-assessment intake form.
Online Measures – includes time taken to administer and interpret measures as well as the cost associated with the purchase of these measures and results.
Assessment Session – includes your attendance to complete the measures. This also includes the cost associated with purchase of the measures, any time required to score the measures and enter results.
Interpretation – includes the time spent reviewing the results against the history collected in order to interpret what this means for you.
Report Writing – includes the time required to compile your information and describe how these results are meaningful to your personal experience. This also includes piecing together recommendations based on your results.
Feedback Session – includes your attendance to discuss the results and recommendations.
* Note that the use of licensed measures typically requires a cost per use which is incorporated into the assessment session cost.
ASSESSMENTS FAQ
The intake session is designed to collect information about you and discuss the specific purpose/goals of the assessment. It also helps your psychologist to determine the type of assessment and measures that would be most suited to provide you with the required information you are seeking. Your psychologist will discuss this with you in the intake session and provide an assessment plan. This will include the cost to help you make an informed decision about whether to continue. There is no commitment at this point.
During the course of the assessment your psychologist may also recommend a change to the plan based on the results of the assessments. This is because as more information is gathered it may become clear that the difficulty is likely due to some other factor (e.g attentional disorder). This will be discussed and a new plan, including any additional costs will be confirmed. The reverse may also occur. Your results may require less measures to be completed, which would result in a lower cost.
The details of the report will depend in part on the type of assessment and the specific assessment question. There is a general structure to the report which includes a brief summary of your personal history, details of the assessments that were administered, results of the assessments, interpretation of the results, and a summary, followed by recommendations.
If you require an assessment report for a specific purpose, this needs to be discussed with your psychologist before starting the assessment in order for them to ensure that they collect all the necessary information to complete your report. Your report can be focused more directly on addressing specific recommendations for your intended purpose.
There are many reasons why someone may seek an assessment. Most often the main purpose is to confirm a diagnosis and seek assistance with understanding or treating the condition. For children and adolescents, reports are often sought for the purpose of learning and education. These assessments may be used to help identify potential difficulties which are affecting an individual’s performance and to help inform learning options (such as accommodations, special provisions, strategies) to address this.
Assessment outcomes may be used by schools or other academic institutions, in order to access funding or other aids to assist with learning. Assessment may also be sought for the purpose of NDIS funding or an initial application for NDIS. For adults, diagnosis is often used to confirm the presence of a condition to allow someone to seek appropriate treatment to address this. The information may also be used to assist with the workplace.
Many people find that formal confirmation of their presentation or neurotype, and understanding the way their brain works, provides relief. Developing a firmer understanding of one’s self can be very helpful in forming self-acceptance and self-respect.
If you are seeking an assessment for a particular purpose, such as funding or education assistance, it is asked that you inform your psychologist at the intake session in order for them to appropriately structure the report for the intended purpose.
Mainly due to the time involved to assessment, interpret and write up the information. As outlined in the assessment steps there are several processes involved in conducting an assessment. Each of these steps involves time from the psychologist to complete the work involved in the assessment. Piecing together the results from the measures along with other supporting information is a complex process which requires both time and extensive knowledge. As each person is unique, the information must be interpreted based on your specific presentation and results in combination, not simply the responses from the measure alone. The time required to complete this is the reason for the cost.
No. As assessments are billed privately a referral is not required. There may be rebates available through Medicare for individuals under 25 years old with complex mental health needs and referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician. If applicable, this will be discussed during your intake session.
No, Medicare does not approve rebates for the purpose of assessments. You may use Medicare for treatment following your assessment if you choose to engage in further sessions to work on the areas identified in the report.
Your Private Health Fund can advise if they will fully or partially fund the assessment. NDIS participant’s funding packages also vary so it is best to discuss with your support coordinator whether psychological assessment is part of your package.