Behavioural and Mental Health Assessments
Behavioural assessments examine whether a child exhibits challenging behaviour that falls outside the age-appropriate range. Behavioural concerns may include hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggression, difficulty sustaining attention, and disruptions to learning and peer relations.
Challenging behaviours can be a normal part of development and testing of boundaries as children grow. However, if behaviours persist or are having a detrimental impact on wellbeing and day-to-day functioning, there may be some underlying difficulties that need to be addressed.
A behavioural assessment is the first step in coming up with a behavioural support program that works for your child and your family. It is not a medical diagnosis and it doesn’t provide a pre-packaged plan for how to address challenging behaviours, but it is a tool for helping you, your family and the professionals who work with you to assess the causes of common behavioural problems and then to work towards creating an environment that supports the needs of your child.
It is my strong belief that a number of things must be ruled out before an ADHD diagnosis should be made, and this is where testing can be helpful. First, anxiety can look like ADHD. Many children are so full of anxiety that they cannot stay focused in school. Many children who present with symptoms of ADHD have learning difficulties which affect their ability to stay focused, stay on task, follow instructions and express themselves. A learning assessment and anxiety assessment is helpful when assessing children with behavioural difficulties.
This assessment is sometimes done in addition to an educational assessment, however it can be done in isolation if previous assessments within the past 2 years have been completed.
Assessment Process
Step 1
Assessment is booked. The Assessment can take place in the comfort of your own home or at our office in Rouse Hill. It can be conducted in one sitting, and your child is given breaks when needed.
Step 2
The assessment itself takes approximately 2.5 hours.
Step 3
Gathering comprehensive background information through interviews with the child, and parents and reviewing reports (if available).
Step 4
The administration of standardised test.
Request for parents, other parties feedback about their concerns and observations.
Step 5
Report writing – the behavioural observations of your child during testing will be recorded, along with the results of the testing and recommendations. This can take approximately 2 weeks.
Step 6
A feedback session (and provision of a report) to help explain findings and provide recommendations and opportunities to clarify information.
What is the next step?
If you are interested in speaking with a psychologist and learning more about the process of a behavioural assessment, ease your mind and make a call for a FREE phone consultation.
Start the road to a happier home and child.
Common
Questions
Do I need a referral for my child to be assessed?
Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover the cost of any type of assessment. However, if you have private health insurance which covers psychological services, you may be eligible for a rebate.
What does a typical assessment process involve?
Typically, an assessment involves a clinical interview with the parent, assessment with the child, review of relevant reports, interpretation and report writing and a parent feedback session. Following the session we are happy to liaise with relevant future professionals. The overall assessment has three main components: the parent interview, the testing session and the report as a form of feedback.
What type of assessment does my child need?
Please follow the link to learn more sydneypsychassessments.com.au/assessments/
What happens during an assessment?
- Our office will be in contact with you to discuss the assessment and start the process with ‘information gathering’. This may include emailing you forms to fill out before the assessment.
- The next step is a clinical interview with you and/or your child. Depending on circumstances, this may be completed before or on the day of the assessment.
- On the day of the assessment, you and your child will meet with your clinician to complete the assessments (tests).
- Then, your clinician will interpret the tests, look at all the information gathered and summarise this into a comprehensive report with recommendations. Please note this step does not happen on the day of assessment.
How long is your waitlist?
As we are predominantly an assessment practice, our wait times are significantly shorter than other providers. Currently, we aim to see you within 4 weeks.
Please call us to book a suitable day and time.
How long will it take to receive my report?
Once all information is received and test results are submitted, we require 2.5 weeks to complete your report.
When and where are the assessments conducted?
Assessments are usually conducted during the week in school hours, both during school terms and school holidays.
Typically, assessments are conducted at our office in Rouse Hill, although we do travel to schools, preschools and clients’ homes throughout Sydney for some assessments as well.
What to tell your child?
Parents are often concerned about what to tell their children before the assessment. As with most aspects of the assessment, it depends on the purpose of the assessment and the age of the child.
With older children over 7 or 8 years, there is no need for “white lies” and parents should have an upfront discussion about why they would like their child to be assessed.
With younger children, particularly around 3 – 4 years of age, parents may want to tell them that they will be doing some puzzles with a “puzzle teacher”. Try not to put too much emphasis on the testing process, the more relaxed the children on the day of the assessment, the more representative their results.
How much does an assessment cost?
We pride ourselves in offering affordable and competitive prices. All assessments are designed to meet the individual needs of clients. Assessments can range from approximately 1-5 hours and up to 5hrs. All assessments come with a report with recommendations and feedback.
Please call us on 0425 269 658 to discuss appointment times and pricing.