Assessment · ADHD
ADHD assessment in Echuca and across Victoria
An ADHD assessment looks at attention, impulsivity and activity levels for children and teens aged 8 and over, across home and school. Testing is completed in person in Echuca, and Aley also travels to complete assessments. Ongoing therapy is available by telehealth across Australia. It starts with a conversation about what you need the assessment to answer, and the scope, sessions and total cost are agreed before anything is booked.
The testing itself is always done in person. If you would prefer, the intake and feedback appointments may be able to be held by telehealth. Just ask when you enquire.
Reviewed by Alexandra (Aley) Hooper, Registered Psychologist ·
What it looks at
Attention, and the skills underneath it.
The assessment looks at attention, impulsivity and activity levels across home and school, alongside the executive functions (planning, working memory, self-monitoring) that often explain more about day-to-day difficulty than the label itself. It typically includes:
- Standardised rating scales from parents and teachers
- Structured developmental and clinical interview
- Executive functioning profile
- Attention and working memory testing
- Screening for anxiety, mood and sleep contributors
- Telling ADHD apart from look-alike presentations
Where the question is broader than attention, an ADHD assessment can be combined with a cognitive and learning assessment as part of the same scope.
What sessions look like
From intake to report.
The first appointment is an intake with a parent or caregiver, covering developmental, medical, family and school history. It usually happens without your child present. With your consent, rating scales then go to teachers.
Testing is completed in person and can be split across sessions where that suits your child better than one long sitting. Once every source is scored and read together, a feedback session walks you through what was found in plain language.
The number and length of sessions depends on the type of assessment and the question it needs to answer, and is agreed with you before anything is booked.
You keep a written report, with recommendations written so a school can act on them. It explains what is going on for your child and what would help, whether or not the picture points to ADHD. The full six-step process is set out on the assessment overview.
Training
A teacher before a psychologist.
Aley Hooper is a registered psychologist and Educational and Developmental Psychology Registrar, with a Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology. She spent thirteen years as a registered secondary teacher, including senior leadership in Learning Diversity, so she knows what a recommendation needs to look like for a classroom teacher to use it. More on Aley’s background.
Questions
Common questions.
No referral is needed to enquire. GPs, paediatricians and schools are also welcome to refer directly, and school wellbeing staff can use the online school referral form.
With your consent, standardised rating scales go to your child’s teachers. Behaviour that only shows up in a classroom is easy to miss in a clinic room, so school input carries real weight in the picture.
Assessments are charged at an hourly rate of $260, covering the intake appointment, school consultation if needed, testing, report writing and feedback. Because the hours depend on scope, you are given a total before you commit.
No. Psychologists do not prescribe. If medication is something your family wants to explore, that conversation happens with your GP or paediatrician, and the assessment report can help inform it.
Assessments are completed in person, usually at Office 3, 88 Wilkinson Drive, Echuca. Aley also travels to complete assessments and can attend your child’s school where that has been arranged with the school. The intake and feedback appointments may be able to be held by telehealth if you ask.
Fees and Medicare
Assessments are charged at an hourly rate of $260, with a total agreed before you commit. Whether a rebate applies depends on your referral pathway. See fees and Medicare for the detail.
Start with a conversation.
Assessment scope is worked out before anything is booked. Get in touch to talk through what you're hoping to find out.