A psychological assessment helps build a detailed picture of how your child is thinking, learning, regulating emotions, and coping with the world around them. It’s not about giving a label — it’s about understanding your child more clearly so that the right support can be put in place.

You might consider seeking an assessment if your child experiences some or all of the following:

At School

• Struggles to keep up with learning, even with help

• Has trouble focusing, sitting still, or following instructions

• Is performing well below or far above their expected level, and you’re unsure why

• Seems to “know it” but can’t show it in tests or homework

• Regularly avoids or becomes upset by schoolwork

In Daily Life

• Is very anxious, shy, withdrawn, or angry in a way that’s impacting their daily life

• Has trouble coping with change, transitions, or sensory input

• Displays repetitive behaviours or intense interests that seem to impact flexibility

• Has difficulty making or keeping friends

• Finds it hard to regulate emotions or often has big meltdowns

Developmental Concerns

• Hasn’t met milestones in speaking, socialising, or daily independence

• Seems “young for their age” in some areas but not in others

• You or others have questions about Autism, ADHD, giftedness, or learning disabilities

You’ve Been Told…

• A teacher, doctor, speech pathologist, or another professional has recommended a cognitive, educational, or behavioural assessment
  
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As a parent or carer, you know your child best. You see their strengths, their struggles, and the unique way they approach the world. Sometimes, you might notice things that leave you wondering whether your child could benefit from some extra support — or whether something deeper might be going on.

That’s where a psychological assessment can help.

Many adults go through life wondering why certain things feel harder for them than for others - struggling with focus, organisation, social interaction, memory, or emotions. You might have developed your own strategies to cope, but still feel like you’re falling short or working much harder than those around you. 

A psychological assessment can help you understand yourself better and make sense of challenges you may have faced for years. It’s not about putting a label on you - it’s about finding clarity, opening up new options for support, and helping you move forward with confidence.

You might consider seeking an assessment if you find yourself constantly distracted, disorganised, or struggling to follow through on tasks - especially if this has affected your work, study, or relationships. You may be wondering about ADHD, Autism, learning disorders, or cognitive differences that weren’t picked up in childhood. Or perhaps you’ve always done well academically but feel that your inner experience doesn’t match how capable others think you are.

Other times, people seek assessment after a major life change, such as returning to study, a career shift, or parenting a neurodivergent child, that’s brought old struggles into sharper focus. You might also have experienced anxiety, depression, or trauma and want to better understand how these are impacting your thinking and functioning.

An adult cognitive or neurodevelopmental assessment can help clarify your strengths, identify areas that may need support, and connect you with practical recommendations, accommodations, or even formal diagnosis if relevant. Some people also seek assessments to support NDIS access, Centrelink documentation, university learning plans, or workplace accommodations.

If you’ve ever had the sense that things have always felt harder for you than they seem to be for others - or that you’ve masked or “pushed through” for years without really being understood - an assessment may offer the insight and validation you’ve been looking for. You don’t need to know what’s going on before you reach out. A conversation with a Psychologist is a good place to start.

It’s important to note that if you’re seeking a trial of medication to support your needs, it may be best to seek an assessment through a Psychiatrist rather than a Psychologist. Whilst our Psychologists are qualified and trained in making ADHD diagnoses, many Psychiatrists feel it is important to undertake their own assessment of ADHD. Our Adult assessments can support you with recommendations, strategies, and a pathway forward to self-exploration and understanding. 

Early understanding leads to early support — and the right support can make a big difference. A timely assessment can help:

• Clarify what’s going on (and rule out what’s not)

• Provide answers to questions you or others have had for some time

• Guide strategies at school and home that are tailored to your child’s specific needs

• Support funding applications, if needed, for school adjustments or the NDIS

Give your child a voice in their own development and wellbeing journey

A cognitive assessment is a type of psychological testing used to understand how someone thinks, learns, remembers, and solves problems. It gives a detailed picture of how a person’s brain is working - how they use their thinking skills in everyday life.

Think of it like a “mental fitness check-up” — it looks at different areas of the brain’s functioning, such as:

• Verbal skills – how well someone understands and uses language

• Visual and spatial skills – how well someone understands things they see and how they picture things in their mind

• Memory – how well they can remember things

• Processing speed – how quickly they can take in and respond to information

• Working memory – how well they can hold and work with information in their mind

Cognitive assessments are used for a range of reasons. For example, they can help understand why a child might be struggling at school, why a teenager is having trouble keeping up with learning or attention, or how an adult’s thinking has changed after illness or injury. They’re also commonly used to help to guide support plans at school or in therapy, identify areas of cognitive (thinking and learning) strength and weakness, identify intellectual disability or giftedness, and to support other assessments such as Autism, ADHD, and assessment of Specific Learning Disorders like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.

Common Tools: The Wechsler Assessments

The most widely used tools for cognitive assessments are called the Wechsler Scales. These are gold-standard tests used internationally, designed for different age groups:

• WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence - Fourth Edition) - Used for children aged 2 years 6 months to 7 years 7 months.

• WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition) - Used for children and adolescents aged 6 to 16 years 11 months.

• WAIS-IV (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition) - Used for older adolescents and adults aged 16 to 90 years.

Each of these tools includes different subtests that explore the areas mentioned above — verbal comprehension, visual-spatial skills, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. They’re designed to be engaging and are often structured as puzzles, picture tasks, memory games, or language-based questions.

What Happens During the Assessment?

A psychologist who is trained in these tools works one-on-one with the person being assessed. It typically takes 1–2 hours, depending on the person’s age and needs. The results are then interpreted in the context of what’s going on in the person’s life - their learning environment, any medical or developmental concerns, emotional wellbeing, and so on.

The goal isn’t to label (although in some instances these tools can be used to identify diagnoses), but to understand and to make targeted recommendations that support learning, wellbeing, and everyday functioning.