WHAT TO EXPECT

To keep your child at ease, our assessment process is extended, and proceeds at a relaxed pace which is dictated by the needs of your child.

Preparing your child: You do not need to prepare your child for the assessment, apart from letting them know they will be taking part in a number of activities aimed at finding out about how they think and learn, what they are good at, etc. You can tell your child the session is aimed at helping them get the educational approach they need.

What to Bring: Please bring along any previous assessment you may already have, whether from psychologists, occupational or other therapists, paediatricians, audiologists etc. They may be relevant to your child’s current situation. Also, the last couple of school reports would be helpful (if available), and something for the child to “show and tell” the psychologist, something they have done themselves preferably. You should also bring food and drink, in case your child needs a break, or wants to eat while working on the assessment. When you arrive for your appointment with your psychologist at our facilities, there are some things you may want to keep in mind in order to assure your visit is both productive and comfortable. Things like the child's clothing being comfortable, as well as anything the child may require to quietly occupy their time before seeing our educational expert, or after the session while we are discussing the results with you.

We start by spending some time simply talking to you and your child, to familiarise ourselves, begin to see what ‘makes your child tick’, and see how he or she feels about herself.

You may wish to ask some questions such as

• What does a child psychologist do?
• How does the Advancement Centre differ from other child psychologists in Sydney?
• How does the Assessment work?

By now your child should be entirely comfortable in the hands of our child psychologist. You’ll then be asked to leave the room, as it’s time for the assessment proper. Depending on the individual child, this may take around an hour and a half. Some children are quite happy to do the whole assessment at a sitting, and will complete the assessment more quickly; others need at least one break, and will take longer. Our depth of experience enables us to judge the right pace for each child.

While our child psychologists are working with your child, you will be asked to fill out a number of forms to help us with our assessment. On completion of the testing, we will discuss with you our findings and recommendations, and afterwards provide you with a written report that will support your future efforts to secure the most appropriate education for your child. It’s also an opportunity for children who are old enough to do so to ask questions (usually about age 15 or older).

Sessions are usually held at the Advancement Centre in Crows Nest, and children can wear casual clothes to put them in a relaxed frame of mind for their assessment. Upon request, and if our child psychologists deem it appropriate, we can conduct assessments at school, using identical procedures.