What happens in an Educational Psychologist Assessment?

The psychologist will ask you about your background and your previous school experiences. If you have been assessed before, it is useful to bring along the report to the assessment if you have it. If not, don’t worry as the assessment can take place anyway, but if there are some issues in your background which are stated in the previous report, this can obviously help to inform the current assessment. It can also be helpful to ask your parents about your very early development prior to the assessment as the psychologist will ask you some questions about that, but this is not essential.

The psychologist will also ask you about your current situation and your current difficulties. This will be followed by a cognitive assessment.  This is done through a series of tests which will look at your language skills, such as your vocabulary, your non-verbal and spatial reasoning skills, as well as your processing speed and working memory.  Your literacy skills, such as word reading, reading comprehension, spelling and writing composition will also be assessed and possibly also your phonic skills. At the end of the assessment you will be shown your results and have them explained to you, so you understand your own profile, in terms of strengths and weaknesses, a little more.  

In view of the test results, your background information and your current difficulties, the psychologist will tell you if a diagnosis of a specific learning difficulty such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or AD(H)D (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is appropriate.  You will also have your chance to discuss what you feel would be particularly helpful in terms of support, as this can then be included in the report. The psychologist will then write a report, and normally one copy is sent to you and one to the Disability Team.

How long will the assessment take?

This varies a little bit depending on the speed with which you work and how much background information is discussed but it normally takes around 2 hours. This can be a little bit longer as well depending on what issues arise during the assessment but around 2 to 2.5 hours is normally enough.

Will I have to bring anything to the assessment?

No, this is not necessary although if you have a previous report, it can be good to bring it along. You might also want to bring a bottle of water or fruit juice as this will help you stay hydrated and hence focused during the assessment.

What happens afterwards?

You should expect to receive the report from the psychologist around 2 weeks from the assessment date. You should then check that everything is correct in the report and if there are any errors you should contact the psychologist and discuss the changes needed.  

You should then make another appointment with the Disability Team to discuss the next steps with them.