Assessment · Cognitive and learning
Cognitive and learning assessment in Echuca
A cognitive and learning assessment shows how a student thinks and learns, and why a capable child or teen aged 8 or over might still be struggling at 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 the question you need answered, and the scope 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 ·
Cognitive assessment
How your child thinks.
A full cognitive profile shows where a child’s thinking is strong and where it is uneven. It is used to identify giftedness or intellectual disability, and to explain why a capable young person is still finding school hard. A student can do well in one area and find another much harder, and the profile is there to make that unevenness visible. It covers:
- Verbal comprehension and reasoning
- Visual-spatial and fluid reasoning
- Working memory
- Processing speed
Learning assessment
Where the gap is coming from.
Achievement testing in reading, writing and maths is read against the cognitive profile to identify specific learning disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) and the adjustments that would actually help in class. It covers:
- Reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension
- Written expression and spelling
- Mathematical reasoning and computation
- Phonological processing
- Adaptive and functional assessment
If attention or social communication is part of the question, this can be scoped together with an ADHD assessment or an autism assessment.
What sessions look like
Testing matched to the question.
An intake appointment with a parent or caregiver comes first. Testing is then completed in person, split across sessions where shorter sittings suit your child, and with your consent the school is consulted.
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.
A feedback session explains the results in plain language, and the written report includes recommendations a school can act on. The full process is on the assessment overview.
Training
Learning is the specialty.
Aley Hooper is a registered psychologist and Educational and Developmental Psychology Registrar, with a Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology and a Master of Teaching (Secondary).
Before psychology she spent thirteen years as a registered secondary teacher, including senior leadership in Learning Diversity, where she led support for students with a wide range of learning needs. That school-side view shapes how her reports are written: recommendations a classroom teacher can put into practice. More on Aley’s background.
Questions
Common questions.
A cognitive assessment looks at how your child thinks: reasoning, memory and processing speed. A learning assessment looks at reading, writing and maths. Read together, they show whether there is a gap between ability and achievement, and where it is coming from.
Not always. Testing is chosen to answer your specific question, and the scope is agreed before anything is booked.
Learning assessment can identify specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, by reading achievement results against the cognitive profile.
Yes. A cognitive profile is used to identify giftedness, and also to assess for intellectual disability.
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.
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.