Child assessment process

Assessment process - assessment of children

Hi, and welcome to Therapy with Michaela.

I’ve prepared this presentation for you, to help you navigate through the assessment process of your child. Please be aware that every assessment will be slightly different due to the type of assessment and its complexity.

Please also note that any child diagnoses need to be confirmed by the treating paediatrician. 

Each assessment starts with a one-and-a-half to two-hour session. This part is completed with one or both caregivers. The child may be present, depending on their age and level of insight. In some cases, this session is held with caregivers only, and an additional session is booked for the child and the caregivers together. We discuss the child’s background, such as family of origin, social connections, education and hobbies. We also go indepth into the presenting difficulties, such as what prompted the assessment request.

It is important that you provide further documentation, such as relevant medical or allied health reports that have been completed. When it comes to ADHD and autism assessments, primary school reports are also required.

For autism assessments, prior to the second appointment, it is recommended that the caregivers go through photos and videos of the child, when they were between three to six years old, to help prompt memory.

Based on the information I’ve gathered to this point, I will send the caregivers several questionnaires or assessments to complete online.

With assessments such as ADHD or autism, it is necessary to connect with other people who know the child well. After you provide consent, I may call the current teacher and/or email them an online questionnaire. 

The next part is the actual assessment. Usually this takes one to two hours and is completed face-to-face in our rooms, as most of the assessments are interactive. It is a requirement that at least one caregiver is present for this appointment. Again, depending on the selected assessment or complexity, this may need to be completed over several sessions. 

If further information is needed, an additional one-hour appointment may be booked. In some cases, observation of the child in kinder or school is also necessary. Any of these additional steps will be discussed with you beforehand, so you can make an informed decision about whether you want to proceed with them or not.

Within two weeks of the last assessment session, the feedback session is held. This is where I discuss the results and my recommendations with you. This also provides you with the space to ask questions about the whole process and the report. Depending on the child’s age, you and they may decide to attend the session together or not. You will receive a printed copy of the report, and a PDF document will be emailed to you after the session.

Please, do not hesitate to contact us prior to, or during the assessment process, if you have any questions.