Educational Cognitive & Academic Assessment

An intellectual and academic assessment helps us understand how a child or teenager learns, what they do well, and where they may need extra support. It looks beyond school marks to explore why some aspects of learning come easily while others require much more effort.

The intellectual, or cognitive, part explores different thinking skills. These include understanding and using language, solving problems, recognising patterns, holding information in mind, and completing tasks efficiently. Rather than treating intelligence as one single ability, it builds a picture of the young person’s individual strengths and difficulties.

The academic part looks at skills taught at school, such as reading, spelling, writing and mathematics. It considers how accurately and fluently the young person uses these skills, as well as how well they understand and apply what they have learnt.

At Totally Psyched, we use only internationally recognised, gold-standard assessment tools: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition (WIAT-4). These provide a detailed understanding of a young person’s thinking abilities and academic skills.

The assessment involves working individually with a psychologist on a range of activities, puzzles and learning tasks. Information from parents, teachers and school reports also helps build the picture. It is not an exam that a child passes or fails, and they do not need to study for it.

Looking at thinking skills and academic skills together can help explain difficulties that might otherwise be mistaken for a lack of effort or motivation. For example, a young person may understand complex ideas but struggle to hold instructions in mind, read fluently or get their thoughts onto paper. The assessment can help identify specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, as well as learning strengths or advanced abilities.

A comprehensive written report is provided, explaining the findings in clear language and outlining practical recommendations. This includes an executive summary for teachers, giving school staff an accessible overview of the young person’s learning profile and support needs. Recommendations also address possible school accommodations, such as extra processing time, written instructions, a quieter working environment or assistive technology, depending on the individual’s needs.

The aim is to help parents and teachers choose effective teaching approaches and support the young person to learn successfully. Understanding their learning profile can also build confidence, helping them recognise their strengths and explain what they need.

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Educational & Academic Assessment is usually helpful if or when:

• An underlying learning or intellectual disability or difficulty is suspected, providing a clearer picture of what areas are affected and recommendations for what will help
• A school needs to make an application for Special Assessment Conditions for exams

The usual process

Educational Assessment is carried out by our Senior Specialist Educational Psychologists:

• Brief initial consult (15-30 mins)
• Intellectual (cognitive) assessment (60-90 mins)
• Academic assessment (120 mins)
• Full verbal feedback about the results and recommendations with parents, and with the child/adolescent if preferred (60 mins)
• Comprehensive report with assessment findings, diagnoses (if relevant), Special Assessment Conditions application, and recommendations for school and/or home
• Internal referral to our multidisciplinary team for further support where needed, with shorter or no wait times and team discussion in support

Total cost: $2,130 (incl. GST).