Cognitive Assessments
Cognitive assessments are often used to identify giftedness, intellectual disability or as a part of wider assessment to help identify conditions such as specific learning difficulties and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder. For an intellectual disability diagnosis, a cognitive assessment and a functional assessment will be used to assess the person.
At APSuccess, our psychologists are trained to use the Wechsler based cognitive assessment, which is considered the Gold Standard assessment for intelligence. We use the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System – Third Edition (ABAS-3) as part of the functional assessment.
What does the assessment process look like?
Prior to starting the assessment, one of our psychologists will get in contact with the referrer (usually the parent) to obtain background information. During this process, our psychologist will inquire about the participant’s developmental history, present concerns as well as providing a determination if an intellectual assessment is suitable for the participant.
Once the assessment is completed, the assessment will be scored to reveal the results and a report will be produced. This process takes typically between 2 to 3 weeks. The clinician will organize a feedback session to discuss the assessment results (including if the participant meets diagnosis for intellectual disability or intellectual giftedness). The report will highlight the areas of both strength and weakness based on the assessment results as well as recommendations for the participant/family to follow up with. A cognitive assessment will be ideal for:
- Enrolment into primary/secondary schools
- Concerns regarding poor academic performance or poor processing of information
- Application towards agencies such as NDIS
- Identifying cognitive areas of concern as part of goal setting for therapy.
If you are unsure, please contact us on 1300 939 147 or email [email protected] so we can have a chat if cognitive assessments are appropriate for your situation.