So you’ve identified that your child is experiencing some challenges at school. It might be that a teacher has raised concerns, or perhaps you’ve noticed some anxiety at home around school or homework. Maybe your child has always been a reluctant reader or has struggled with Maths.

 

Once you’ve decided that action needs to be taken, you will likely receive conflicting advice about what to do next. Do you see a speech pathologist, an educational psychologist, an audiologist, an optometrist, a paediatrician…? The options are endless and confusing! What should you be asking the school to do to better support your child?

 

In this situation, an educational assessment can be helpful.      

 

An educational assessment will provide you with a comprehensive overview of your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses and valuable information about the nature and possible causes of any learning difficulties.

 

This can enable you to:

• determine the most appropriate next step in seeking additional support;

• make more informed decisions about future pathways (school selection, VCE special provisions);

• provide your child’s teachers with recommendations regarding accommodations and teaching & learning strategies.

 

I use a number of clinical assessment tools that measure a wide range of skills and abilities including:

 

-  Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III)

-  Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA 3)

-  Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT-2)

-  Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2)

-  Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF Screener)

-  Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH)

-  Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales

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The assessment process will involve:

• Parent intake forms and questionnaires (to be completed at home)

• Assessment (2 x 2-hour sessions)

• Report writing (allow 3-4 weeks)

• Parent feedback session (1 hour)

• Teacher feedback session (45 minutes – optional, additional cost applies)

 

You will be provided with a comprehensive report detailing both your child’s results and recommendations for home and school.

 

Cost (Full Assessment) - $1,380

Covers: receptive language, expressive language, word reading, pseudoword decoding, reading fluency, reading comprehension, spelling, sentence writing, (essay writing), (handwriting speed), maths problem solving, numerical operations, maths fluency + phonological processing + brief IQ test (KBIT - verbal and non-verbal IQ) + executive function screener

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