Psychological Assessments for children and adults
A psychological assessment involves a series of interviews, questionnaires, tests, and observations. Our experienced clinicians take a flexible approach, tailoring the assessment process to your priorities and specific concerns.
The assessments we offer are sometimes referred to as psycho-educational assessments, learning assessments, diagnostic assessments or Dyslexia assessments.
How can a psychological assessment help?
Psychological assessments at SPELD SA help to answer two questions:
1. ‘what is causing my / my child’s difficulties with learning?’ and
2. ‘what strategies will be helpful?’
A psychological assessment will identify individual learning strengths and weaknesses. It will also determine whether a learning disorder such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia or Dysgraphia, or Intellectual Developmental Disorder is present. You can talk to our team to find out whether this may be appropriate for you or whether an educational consult or intervention may be the appropriate first step.
We work with people of all ages and backgrounds including primary and secondary school students, students in home schooling, university students, and people with disabilities.
The assessment process
There are several parts to the process.
1. Pre-assessment questionnaire: This quick questionnaire is used to check that our service is a good fit for what you need. If we feel that another service would be more appropriate, we will talk to you about your options.
2. Detailed background questionnaire: The next step is for you to provide detailed information about medical, developmental, and educational history. This is usually done via an electronic questionnaire a few weeks before the first appointment, but can be done via interview if preferred.
We will contact you a week before the testing session to provide some more information and answer any questions.
3. Testing: The testing usually takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours. In most cases, the testing is completed 1 session. However, for younger children, or for clients of any age who prefer shorter sessions, we can book 2 sessions. Our first priority is to make sure that all clients feel comfortable during the process (and that younger clients have fun!). In most cases, the tests focus on:
- cognitive processes (including phonological awareness, working memory, intellectual abilities, and in some cases language processing and attention), and
- academic skills relevant to the current concerns (e.g. reading, writing, and mathematical skills). Clients take as many breaks as needed through the testing session.
4. Feedback and planning meeting: The week after testing, we will meet with you to talk about the test results, answer your questions, and help you consider the options for next-steps.
It is usually possible to schedule the feedback meeting on the same day as the testing for families who travel in from outside of Adelaide. Video sessions are also available. Please ask at the time of booking.
5. Report: A few weeks later, we will send you a report, written in clear accessible language that summarises test results, formal diagnoses (if relevant), recommendations, strategies, and resources.
What do I need to do before undergoing a psychological assessment?
Before a diagnosis of a Specific Learning Disorder (such as Dyslexia) can be made it is important that a vision and hearing test is conducted to ensure another condition is not impacting learning. It is also essential that the person being assessed has received at least six months of targeted literacy and/or numeracy intervention. For more information on targeted intervention refer to the Auspeld guide below.
What if additional testing is needed?
In most cases, our standard battery of tests is all that is needed. However, we identify that additional specialised testing may be helpful to get a full understanding of the challenges and support needs. If this is the case, we will discuss this with you. We will also let you know if there would be additional fees. Different decisions are right for different families, and whatever you decide, we will respect your wishes.
How much does a psychological assessment cost?
A standard psychological assessment is $1,850. Extra fees may apply if further assessments are needed.
Become a member and receive a 5% discount on your assessment fee.
I have other questions
If you’re not sure if a psychology assessment is the right option for you, or if you have other questions, someone from the psychology team will be happy to talk to you on the phone. Alternatively, you can submit a pre-assessment questionnaire (below) and someone will call you after reviewing the information you provide.
