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• Significantly below their peers in reading and maths.
• Appearing intelligent but has difficulty putting their thoughts on paper.
• Having significant difficulties attending and concentrating in the classroom.
• Having difficulty remembering more than two or three items either at home or in the classroom.
• Appearing to be bored and not challenged in the classroom
  enviroment.Other reasons include:
  • A teacher has informed you that a Psycho-educational assessment is required to assist in the development of an individualized education plan and to be able to provide increased support to your child.
  • A teacher has raised concerns about your child’s understanding of language, which may also be affecting their social relationships.
  • You are concerned that your child is distracted and/or bored in learning, or there are reports from the classroom that your child appears lazy in the classroom environment.

  We use the latest technology (Q-global Interactive) to administer our psychoeducational assessments, through the use of a comprehensive digital system installed in our iPads. This makes the testing process quicker and more efficient, and the child will also have an easier time than if the test was administered with pen and paper.

  A Psycho-Educational Assessment includes:

  • • Clinical Interview in our office or at your childs school.
    • Comprehensive written report
    • Feedback session with the parent
    • An Intelligence Test such as Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fifth Edition(WISC-V).
    • The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV).
    • Academic achievement test such as Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT III).
    • Behavioural an Adaptive measures such as the Conners-3 Rating Scale
    • Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 (Brief II)
    • Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC III)
    • Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3)ABASS III

  The report will provide detailed recommendations to help your child learn to their full potential as well as recommendations for behavioural or concentration concerns.

  With your permission, we can also liaise with your child’s school to assist in developing a learning plan regarding your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

A comprehensive Vocational Assessment can help your child make an informed decision about their future: career options, what to study in University or Trade School, etc.

What is included in a vocational assessment?

The Vocational Assessment includes a detailed history of your teenager, in combination with:

• intelligence and personality testing
• employment preferences
• retraining requirement for suitable roles
• employment availability

The Assessment starts with the student completing a Job Questionnaire. The questionnaires vary depending on their origin, but are usually divided into these categories:

• Technological
• Nature
• Scientific
• Culture
• Expressiveness
• Helping
• Persuasive
• Organizing

These employment fields are then compared to the work needs which are most important to your teenager, such as salary and work hours. The results of these job preferences are identified in combination with a detailed understanding of the job availability.

The Vocational Assessment session with your teenager will take up to two hours. At the end, you and your child will have comprehensive advice about ideal careers and roles, making subject choices straightforward.

Taking a vocational assessment administered in an educational psychology clinic in Adelaide will be instrumental in helping your child in their future paths.

Possible Symptoms of an Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disabilities can affect a child in the following ways:

• They may take longer to learn things
• They may have difficulty reading and writing
• They may have trouble communicating
• They may have difficulty understanding language and general conversation
• They may have difficulty maintaining eye contact
• They may demonstrate difficulties in planning and problem solving
• They may experience extreme difficulties in understanding abstract concepts
• They may have trouble adapting to new or unfamiliar situations.
• They may present well, but actually have difficulty understanding real-life concepts
• They are likely to have difficulties with attention
• They may have difficulties learning the range of skills that will be needed to live and work in the community
• They may have trouble seeing how things or how events relate to each other

Diagnosing an Intellectual Disability

When assessing for Intellectual Disability, a Psychologist will use:

• an Intelligence Test such as The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fifth Edition (WISC-V)
• an Achievement Test such as Wechsler Individual Achievement Test 3rd edition, and
• an Adaptive Functioning Measure such as The Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System 3rd Edition (ABASS)

For a confirmed diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, the child will score 70 or under on the WISC-V. The child will also show significant difficulties in at least two areas of adaptive behaviour.

Adaptive behaviour is the collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that are learned and performed by people in their everyday lives, such as:

• Conceptual skills: money, time, and number concepts; and self-direction.
• Social skills: such as the ability to follow rules/obey laws and to avoid being victimized.
• Practical skills: activities of daily living (personal care), occupational skills, healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of money, use of the telephone.

What to do after diagnosis

Following a diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, a child will need certain types of structure and support. For instance, within the school system they will need an individualized learning plan, as they will need to work at a different pace to their peers. There should also be an emphasis on learning living skills such as shopping, cooking, life skills, and mathematics (such as using money, calculators, and timetables). Furthermore, the child should get assistance to develop life skills literacy, such as reading road signs and shopping labels.

Book Your Assessment

If you believe that your child has significant intellectual difficulties and may have an Intellectual Disability, a psycho-educational assessment can help you understand your child’s ability and provide recommendations to assist them to fulfil their intellectual potential.

The Psycho-Educational Assessment takes approximately two hours. Approximately 10 business days after the assessment, you’ll receive a comprehensive Assessment Report that provides recommendations and feedback to the parents and students.

If so, they may suffer from a specific learning disorder such as dysgraphia, dyscalculia or dyslexia.

Learning difficulties can severely hinder learning and enjoyment of school and the education experience. If you suspect your child has a learning disorder, there’s only one way to know for sure: a comprehensive educational assessment, which may include dysgraphia, dyscalculia or dyslexia testing.

The psychoeducational assessment includes:

• Initial consultation to review academic, social and family history;
• Cognitive Intelligence test: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V) evaluates a variety of abilities and skills that are considered to be a part of “intelligence”;
• Standardised achievement academic test: the WIAT-II/III is used as an assessment tool to provide a measure of current achievement levels in literacy and mathematics;
• Other relevant assessment tools such the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (Second Edition), which assesses phonological awareness, phonological memory and verbal fluency/rapid naming.

Educational assessments can identify underlying learning issues and provide recommendations. If you suspect your child has a learning disorder, it is important to get a psychoeducational assessment as soon as possible.
Book an educational assessment in an educational psychology clinic in Adelaide now, and help your child achieve their fullest potential!

Children with ADHD experience difficulties in three main areas:

• Inattentiveness-wandering off task, lacking persistence having difficulty sustaining focus and being disorganized.
• Hyperactivity-excessive fidgeting, tapping or talkativeness.
• Impulsivity-interrupting or intruding on others

A comprehensive evaluation will:

• Assess the child’s intellectual ability-An intellectual (IQ) assessment is an essential component of the ADHD testing process to rule out other difficulties (such as intellectual impairments or learning disorders).
• assess the child’s academic achievement in core areas of the curriculum
• assess the presence of an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• determine the type (inattentive, hyperactive, mixture)
• define the degree of severity

An ADHD assessment involves a diagnostic interview with parents/teachers and the use of behavioural rating scales to gain information about the child’s functioning at both home and school.

Here at Waterman Psychology Services, we make use of a reliable and comprehensive digital assessment system installed in iPads for our educational assessments. Thus the process takes less time and the results are more accurate, leaving less room for error.

Specialists in our educational psychology clinic in Adelaide provide recommendations on how to support your child after an ADHD diagnosis, and how to continue to assist them in the future. When requested by parents, we make referrals to other medical and allied health professionals, including paediatricians, psychologists and speech pathologists

Has it been recommended by the university/TAFE or work place that you obtain a psychological assessment to determine appropriate support and strategies that will aid your learning process within the study/work environment?

If so, you may be suffering from a specific learning disorder such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dysgraphia, or other concerns such as poor working memory and processing speed.

Learning difficulties can severely hinder learning and enjoyment of work and the education experience.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDER ASSESSMENT

• Initial consultation to review academic, social and family history
• Standard cognitive Intelligence test (WAIS-IV) The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults – Forth Edition (WISC-IV) evaluates a variety of abilities and skills that are considered to be a part of “intelligence”.
• Standardised achievement academic test (WIAT III). The WIAT-III is used as an assessment tool to provide a measure of current achievement levels in literacy and mathematics.

Intelligence testing identifies any underlying weaknesses you may have in areas such as:

• Processing speed
• Verbal learning issues
• Poor Working memory

Achievement testing measures skills in key academic areas such as:

• reading (accuracy, fluency and comprehension)
• spelling accuracy
• writing skills (handwriting and composition)
• mathematics (reasoning and operating skills)

Waterman Psychology Services provides specific direction and recommendations for you and your educational or work setting to assist you reach your learning potential. Book an appointment with our qualified psychologist for an educational assessment in Adelaide. The assessment may include dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or dyslexia testing, and the results will be instrumental in helping you in your future endeavours.