Services

We provide comprehensive psychological assessments and evidence-based therapy for children and adolescents. An initial appointment is booked with the parents or caregivers prior to an assessment or the commencement of therapy to discuss your child’s needs, developmental history, and whether an assessment is recommended, and/or the goals for therapy. Following an assessment, you will receive a professional report and a follow-up feedback session with the parents or caregivers to discuss the results and recommendations.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessments

We offer a comprehensive autism assessment to diagnose whether your child is autistic, or a review assessment with current information to assist with support planning or funding applications. We utilise the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (Autism CRC) gold standard of autism assessments as per the ‘National Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder’, and include the following recommended assessments:

  • Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2): for individuals aged 12 months+
  • Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R): for individuals aged 2 years+

The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured, observation-based tool that aims to assess communication, social interactions, play, and restricted and repetitive behaviours. The assessment duration is usually one hour, and completed with the individual being assessed. 

The ADI-R is a structured clinical interview completed with the parents or caregivers. The purpose of the ADI-R is to collect a comprehensive developmental history to help distinguish autism from other developmental disorders. The assessment duration ranges between two to three hours. 

In addition, we contact your child’s school to gather information in regards to their presentation in the classroom and school yard. A school observation can be added as an additional service (please see the School Observations section below). 

Lastly, we schedule a feedback session to discuss the outcome of the assessment, your child’s support needs, recommendations moving forward, and how to apply for government funded programs to access greater resources.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Assessments

We follow the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) recommended guidelines to assess ADHD as per the “Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”. We utilise the following measure to assess ADHD:

  • Conners – Fourth Edition (Conners 4): for individuals aged 6 years to 18 years

The Conners 4 is a thorough assessment of ADHD and its most common comorbid challenges and disorders. The assessment is multi-informant that utilises observational ratings from parents or caregivers, teachers, and young people being assessed (for 8 year olds and over). For children under the age of 8, only the parent and teacher forms are utilised. 

A clinical observation session is included to obtain further information and evidence. Sometimes a cognitive or academic assessment is recommended to rule out differential diagnoses or whether there is more information needed for an accurate assessment. 

A feedback session is scheduled to discuss the outcome of the assessment, recommendations, and the support your child may require in the home, social, and school environments. 

Behavioural Assessments

We provide several highly regarded behavioural assessments which measure different aspects of behaviour. That is, they can portray a complete picture of your child’s adaptive functioning skills or they can help you understand the behaviours and emotions of children and adolescents (including aggression, anxiety, social skills, and self-esteem). The following are some of several behavioural assessments that are utilised:

  • Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System – Third Edition (ABAS-3): for individuals aged 0 years to 89 years
  • Behaviour Assessment System for Children – Third Edition (BASC-3): for individuals aged 2 to 21 years 11 months

The ABAS-3 is a comprehensive standardised assessment which measures the adaptive skills needed to effectively and independently care for oneself, respond to others and meet environmental demands at home, school and in the community. This assessment is useful for evaluating children or adolescents with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, neuropsychological disorders, and sensory or physical impairments. This assessment requires observational ratings from parents or caregivers, and child care educators or teachers. 

The BASC-3 is a multi-dimensional approach to evaluating behaviour and emotions of children and adolescents and utilises observational ratings from multiple respondents, including parents or caregivers, teachers, and young people being assessed (for 8 year olds and over). For children under the age of 8, only the parent and teacher forms are utilised. This assessment is useful in the clinical diagnosis of disorders that can start in childhood or adolescence, such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression. The BASC-3 can also indicate issues associated with learning disabilities, such as adjustment problems.

Cognitive Assessments

We utilise an IQ test (or psychometric assessment) to determine an individual’s learning abilities by identifying their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This assessment can assist in the development of individualised learning support plans. Depending on your child’s age, we utilise one of the following:

  • Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV): for children aged 2 years, 6 months to 7 years, 7 months
  • Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V): for individuals aged 6 years to 16 years, 11 months 

Cognitive assessments are essential when diagnosing intellectual disabilities, giftedness, learning difficulties, dyslexia, working memory deficits, and auditory processing issues. The assessment duration ranges from two to three hours. 

The following areas are assessed:

  • Verbal Comprehension
  • Visual Spatial
  • Fluid Reasoning
  • Working Memory
  • Processing Speed

Academic Assessments

We offer an achievement test which measures your child’s ability in core academic areas. The following assessment is utilised:

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Third Edition (WIAT-III): for individuals aged 4 years to 50 years, 11 months

The WIAT-III provides age equivalent measurements to help determine areas of strengths and weaknesses across key academic areas. This information is important in the diagnosis of specific learning disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. The WIAT-III is often completed in conjunction with a cognitive assessment. The assessment duration ranges from two to three hours. 

Areas assessed may include:

  • Reading 
  • Spelling
  • Maths
  • Oral Language
  • Listening Comprehension

Please note, to undertake an assessment of a specific learning disorder, it is a prerequisite that your child has received targeted intervention for their difficulties (in reading, writing, or mathematics), such as an in-school support program or tutoring, and that their difficulties have been present for at least six months.

Therapy (currently unavailable)

We provide evidence-based therapy for children and adolescents who present with a range of issues or mental health concerns, including the following:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Behaviour management
  • Attention and concentration issues
  • Poor emotion regulation 
  • Grief and loss
  • Low self-esteem / confidence 
  • School readiness preparation
  • Anger management issues
  • Bullying
  • Mindfulness and relaxation training
  • Poor social skills 
  • Trauma
  • Body image issues
  • Stress management
  • Learning difficulties

We are passionate about working within a family framework, and including parents in therapy where possible. We specialise in working with neurodiverse children and adolescents, for example, autistic clients, ADHD clients, and clients with learning disorders. 

We utilise a multi-modal approach in therapy, and are experienced in the following interventions:

  • Play-based therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
  • Trauma-focussed CBT
  • Attachment therapies
  • Circle of Security 
  • Tuning Into Kids
  • Emotion Coaching
  • Schema Therapy
  • Solutions Focussed Therapy
  • Parent-Child Psychotherapy
  • Marte Meo
  • Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
  • Family Therapy Framework
  • Social Skills Groups
  • School Readiness Groups

Preschool/School Observation

We offer preschool, child-care, or school observations that include discussions with teachers and educational staff. Our goal is to provide practical and applicable strategies specifically related to managing students’ difficulties with learning, behaviours, social skills, and emotion regulation in the classroom and school yard. These observations and discussions can be beneficial for your child who may be engaged with other allied health professionals. The school observations can be a stand-alone service or an addition to another assessment, where we can help offer strategies while speaking with your child’s teacher.