Child Assessment Services

About our service in Hawthorn

Our assessment service offers virtual parent intake and feedback sessions, as well as child assessment sessions, at our Hawthorn and Hawthorn East consulting rooms. This approach increases access and reduces wait times for psychological and educational assessments, so children across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, such as Camberwell, Kew, Glen Iris, Balwyn, Surrey Hills, Glen Waverley and Box Hill, can access support as early as possible.

Assessments are a discrete service with a defined start and end point discussed at the beginning of the process. At the conclusion, you will receive a comprehensive, multi-page report detailing the assessments conducted, the findings, the clinical conclusions and recommendations. The report is designed to be shared with other professionals involved in your care (GP, paediatrician, allied health provider or educator), so the findings can inform their approach.

Our Assessments

Assessment of kids mental development. Professional woman psychologist watching little boy

Cognitive Assessments (IQ Testing)

Cognitive assessments measure general intellectual functioning (WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, or WAIS-IV) to better understand each child's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. If required, an assessment of daily living skills is included (Vineland-3). This assessment can be used to evaluate school readiness and school placement in the kinder years, typically recommended by a paediatrician. For school-age children, teachers or other allied health professionals typically recommend cognitive assessments.

Educational Assessments
(Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia)

Educational Assessments measure a child's academic performance (WIAT-III) and provide insight into unique strengths, challenges, and missed areas of learning. A formal educational assessment involves both the academic (WIAT-III) and the cognitive (WISC-V or WAIS-IV) assessments. The findings of this assessment guide future intervention and/or academic accommodations for individual learning differences. If required, the DSM-5-TR diagnostic assessment of specific learning disorders ('dyslexia' or 'dyscalculia') is included in the report. The report can also be used to support applications for school funding and classroom accommodations.

Kids go back to school. Children study and learn for preschool. Little boy of elementary c

Neurodevelopmental Assessments

Our experience and the clinical research highlight that an early diagnosis helps guide an understanding of differences and needs. This further supports communication of unique differences, strengths, and needs to family members and teaching staff.

Psychological assessments consider two factors:

1) Neurodevelopmental presentations such as Autism or ADHD.

2) Emotional and behavioural functioning

Autism

Our DSM-5-TR diagnostic autism assessments involve a comprehensive understanding of a child's history, unique differences, communication and relationships, sensory profile, and individual needs. These are available for children and adolescents. A completed autism diagnosis can also be used to support NDIS funding applications, along with school funding and classroom accommodations.

ADHD

Our DSM-5-TR diagnostic ADHD assessments also involve a comprehensive understanding of a child's history, unique strengths, challenges, and how best to support your child's functioning within their school and home environments. These assessments include a cognitive assessment (if required), school observation, and a diagnostic assessment. These are available for children and adolescents, and the report can be used for teaching/classroom accommodations and to support applications for school funding.

Child sitting and talking to a psychologist

The Assessment Process

Assessments typically include the following:

1. Enquiry, made online, through a school, or via a GP or paediatrician recommendation.

2. A brief phone intake with a member of administrative staff

3. A comprehensive parent session with the psychologist to gather background history.

4. Information obtained from relevant professionals, e.g. teacher or paediatrician

5. Assessment session(s) completed in person with the client.

6. The final report is written.

7. Feedback session explaining findings and answering questions.

Fees

Open to new clients

Assessment FAQ's

What is an Endorsed Psychologist?

A registered psychologist is a health professional that has completed six years of university education, training and research specialising in the human experience. Once registered, there is a requirement to continue with ongoing training and skill development. Psychologists must practice in line with current ethical and professional standards and use evidence-based approaches to assess, diagnose and support a wide range of concerns.

Psychologists focus on different areas; our staff have completed an additional two year endorsement program post-registration in Educational and Developmental and also in Clinical Psychology.

Educational and Developmental Psychology focus in child and adolescent development, understanding of neurodevelopmental differences and mental health challenges that emerge in childhood, work with families, educational needs and academic assessments.

Clinical Psychology represents advanced skills in assessing and diagnosing relevant mental health conditions within their scope of practice and population of work.

Why complete an assesment?

The benefits of an assessment are an increased understanding of your child, their learning, and individual needs. The report includes insights and recommendations to better support the child's functioning at school and at home. The findings will also assist in communicating your child's individual needs to family members and teaching staff.

With younger children, parents and teachers often look to psychologists for help with a child's development, behaviour, emotional or learning needs. For adolescents, psychologists are called to help navigate parent-child relatonships, friendship challenges, identity development, self-esteem, challenges related to managing workload (procrastination) and associated anxiety or low mood.

When is the best time to complete an assessment?

This varies for each child as it depends on their specific challenges or differences. However, the earlier the understanding, support and accomodations, the better the school and/or home experience may be for the child.

Therefore, early understanding is beneficial to prevent later challenges, such as school disengagement or behavioural difficulties. Ultimately, we aim to support each child to thrive in their home and school environments.

Does this service include ongoing care?
Ongoing care is not included. Assessments are a discrete service with a clear start and end date. You leave with a detailed report. Recommendations for further support (if needed) are included in the report itself.

Will the psychologist prescribe medication?
Psychologists are not medically trained to prescribe. This is outside the scope of our practice. If medication is a relevant support option, your report will include a recommendation to see a paediatrician, GP, or psychiatrist, who is welcome to review the comprehensive report to inform their medical decision-making.

What's included?

This is a discrete psychological assessment service with a defined start and end point discussed at the beginning of the service. At the conclusion, you'll receive a comprehensive, multi-page report detailing the assessments conducted, the findings, and clinical conclusions and recommendations.

The report is designed to be shared with any other professional involved in your care (GP, paediatrician, allied health provider and educators), so its findings can inform their approach