CHILD EDUCATIONAL AND ADHD ASSESSMENTS

Waterman Psychology Services aims to help children understand and overcome the challenges of behavioural and attention disorders, as well as learning disabilities. Our goal is to help them reach their full potential, through providing recommendations to improve their behaviour and wellbeing.

ADULT EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS

Specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia, can severely hinder learning and studying, enjoyment of work, and the educational experience. Waterman Psychology Services aim to improve this experience and guide you on the path to career and study success.

CHILD EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS

Every child learns differently, especially when they have a learning disorder such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia. Here at Waterman Psychology Services, we are committed to your child’s wellbeing and want to help you understand their needs, guide them on the path to educational success and unlock their potential

Previous slide
Next slide

Frequently Asked Questions

The appointments can take up to 3 hours. This is a one-time appointment which includes the initial consult, assessment, brief feedback, and report.

The minimum age requirement for an educational or ADHD assessment is above the age of 6. We accept children up until 17 years of age or the equivalent to a child in year 12. Beyond this age you will require an Adult Assessment.

If you are seeking an appointment before the age of 6, we recommend seeing a paediatrician first and talking with your GP for other options.

No referral is needed to book an appointment with us. You can simply head over to the book appointment section on our website to schedule your appointment!

Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover educational or ADHD assessments. However, private health rebates may apply, depending on your coverage. Further, if you are on a NDIS plan, cost will vary depending on your provider.

If you need to cancel your appointment, please be aware that the deposit placed is non-refundable. However, if you need to reschedule your appointment, your deposit will remain.

For a reassessment, a minimum of a one-year gap is required between the two appointments. This remains true for both an educational and ADHD assessment.

Here at Waterman Psychology, we do offer a separate initial consult to discuss the needs of your child and whether you should go ahead with the full assessment. If this if something you are interested in, please call 0881335711 prior to booking online for more information.

Here at Waterman Psychology, we do offer a separate feedback session where you can discuss the information presented in the report or to seek clarification on any diagnosis or recommendations. If this if something you are interested in, please call 0881335711 prior to booking online for more information.

Both educational and ADHD assessments will assess for all learning problems, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, language disorder, and intellectual disability. ADHD is only assessed in an ADHD assessment but can be added to an educational assessment if the psychologist deems necessary. For more information about these learning disorders please head over to our Learn About Learning Disorders page.

Unfortunately, we do not specialise in gifted children. We recommend speaking with the Gifted & Talented Children’s Association of SA.

As students enter year 10, they are often preparing to select subjects which are necessary and/or required for potential career paths. Therefore, it is around this age that an educational assessment can be important to determine their strengths and weaknesses, which can help them select subjects and/or career paths that they can thrive in.

Through undertaking an educational assessment, recommendations can also be provided to teachers to determine the best learning style for the student, which can help to achieve academic success in the later years of high school and future studies.

An intelligence test using the WISC-V is useful for measuring strengths and weaknesses and can be an essential component when diagnosing certain learning disorders or disabilities. The test provides a general intellectual ability score, which is referred to as your IQ score. It also provides information on different areas of intelligence such as verbal and practical intelligence.

There are five main components of the WISC-V which determine your overall IQ score:

  • Verbal Comprehension – measures language understanding such as what is the meaning of words (vocabulary) and how are two words alike or similar.
  • Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning – measure practical ability; however, there is still some understanding of language required such as the ability to follow instructions.
  • Working Memory – assesses capacity to hold and manipulate information in their mind over short periods in an auditory and visual manner.
  • Processing Speed – measures how quickly mental tasks can be performed.

Typically, when children or young adults present for a psychoeducational assessment to diagnose for Specific Learning Difficulties, often concerns include attention and concentration difficulties in combination with general complaints of tiredness or irritability. However, generally the person is required to use technology within the school setting or work and will often use technology as a leisure activity (e.g., watching TV, playing computer games, or looking at social media).

There are numerous positives and negatives to technology use, and it is important to determine these to find out the kind of impact technology is having on the child or young adult. 

Some positives often include:

  • Providing alternative ways to learn.
  • For people who have learning difficulties with either maths or English can choose from a variety of interactive computer software programs which could assist in making learning a fun experience instead of a challenge.
  • For poor writing ability, they can write assignments on a computer or laptop device.
  • Efficiency of obtaining information.
  • For poor spelling ability they may be assisted by utilising various spelling programs designed to correct typical spelling errors.
  • A lot of assisted technology can be very useful for those who struggle academically. For instance, there are computer software programs that write the spoken words, which is useful for individuals who struggle to write or use a laptop.

Some negatives often include:

  • Research suggests that large amount of screen time daily has a negative effect on concentration and attention levels.
  • Due to overstimulation from technology during the day often individuals get more than eight hours of sleep a night but still wake up tired with poor attention and concentration issues at school. This results in getting enough quantity of sleep, but the quality of sleep is being negatively affected.
  • Negatively affect mental health and wellbeing. Research demonstrates links between screen time and use, and behaviour. For instance, if the television/internet content has violent themes, the individuals are more likely to act in an aggressive manner.
  • Can result in more difficulty with social skills as individuals are spending more time connecting with friends via the internet with a much lower focus on building relationships in a face-to-face manner, therefore limiting their skills in social situations that will be important later in life.

The most common suggestion for individuals is to cease screen use to approximately 2 hours before bedtime, which feedback suggests a significant positive change in behaviour. This change includes increased alertness and concentrations, and a decrease in irritability.

Hence, as a part of a psychoeducational assessment, screen-time and exposure to technology is determined to understand it’s impact on academics, and mental health and wellbeing.