myturn2talk Assessment Services
Assessment Services for
Children & Adolescents
- Is my child ready for school?
- Is my child gifted?
- Does my child have a learning difficulty?
At myturn2talk we offer assessment services to children and adolescents. Assessments are tailored to your child’s unique set of circumstances and are administered only if required. There are a number of assessments that can be used and below is a description of some of these:
COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT
Cognitive functioning can explain disruptive behaviour, learning diffiuclties and/or social problems. An intellectual assessment is often used to determine whether IQ is a factor and help deptermine what individual and/or classroom modifications could be implemented in order to assist the student.
The test used for children ages 2 years 6 months to 7 years 3 months is the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III- Australian). And the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV- Australian) is used to assess general intelligence for children aged between 6 and 16 years and 11 months.
EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
This type of assessment usually includes a WPPSI-III or WISC-IV (as above) with the addition of the WIAT-II-Australian. The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II) assesses academic achievement skills and when achievement is compared to ability, it can greatly help students, parents and teachers understand an individual’s strengths and difficulties and inform learning plans.
ASSESSMENT OF BEHAVIOURAL / EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE
The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) is used to evaluate developmental and/or behavioural or emotional problems and assess whether these are severe enough to require a formal diagnosis.
The two commonly used components of the ASEBA are the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) for parents/guardians and the Teacher's Report Form (TRF). There are two versions of each, one for children between the ages of 1.5 and 5 and one for children between the ages of 6 and 18. The forms are standardised, self explanatory and take about 15 minutes to complete.
ASSESSMENT OF COPING SKILLS
Finally, other assessments used to help children become more aware of their coping skills include for example the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS). The ACS is a self-report inventory which takes about 10 minutes to administer and provides a coping profile, forming the foundation on which more effective coping strategies can be built in therapy.