Face to Face and Telehealth Assessment for Children and Adults
Among our many services, we provide assessments to assist children, adolescents and adults with a range of developmental, cognitive and learning differences. Our assessments can be delivered in person, or online and are conducted by clinicians who are experienced and passionate assessors. We use COVIU, a highly secure telehealth platform, to deliver our assessment sessions so that where needed you/your child can complete these in the comfort of your home.
For those individuals seeking assessment for neurodevelopmental brain style differences, including Autism and ADHD, this is an area of special interest for Spencer Health and you can be sure that your psychologist is experienced in the assessment of Autism and ADHD.
Clients wishing to obtain a diagnosis and report to access NDIS funding can do so utilising the reports prepared by our team. All of our reports are overseen by Clinical Psychologists and our rigid quality assurance protocols ensure a high quality diagnostic and recommendation report is provided to you. All of our reports are written by our team, not generated by online software, and the process of developing recommendations will be specific to you/your child’s needs and current context.
Our assessment services include:
- Autism
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD)
- Psychometric testing to assess intellectual and academic achievement
- School Readiness & Developmental Assessments
- Giftedness
- Learning disorders such as dyslexia
- Vocational Assessment and Career Guidance
Find out more about what is involved in each of our assessments here
Step 1 – Intake and allocation (over the phone)
A thorough discussion will be held between you and our intake team to discuss your needs, the assessment process, fees and to ensure that you are allocated to the best clinician to meet your needs.
Step 2 – Initial Interview (face to face and online)
An initial interview will be conducted with you (and your child) to obtain the relevant information related to your presentation and history of challenges. You may at this time be requested to complete some screening questionnaires. The purpose of this interview is not only to obtain the relevant background information, but to also make sure that an assessment is the best way forward for you and/or your child. At the end of the interview your psychologist will discuss with you their recommendations in terms of moving forward. If an assessment is recommended your clinician will discuss the tools and assessment sessions required.
Step 3 – Assessment Sessions (face to face and online)
Depending on your specific needs, the assessment process will look different for everyone. During the assessment phase your psychologist will engage with you and administer gold standard tools related to your diagnostic needs. This could include a formal developmental interview, behavioural observation, cognitive and academic assessment.
Step 4 – Questionnaires and Screening Tools (online and pen/paper)
Scientifically validated questionnaires and screening tools relevant to your diagnostic needs will be provided to yourself, parents, educators, friends/family (where appropriate for adult assessments).
Step 5 – Report Preparation
Your psychologist will prepare a highly detailed and bespoke diagnostic report with thorough and relevant recommendations. All of our reports are written by our team, not generated by online software, and the process of developing recommendations will be specific to you/your child’s needs and current context.
Step 6 – Feedback Session
Your psychologist will meet with you for a feedback session and discuss the diagnostic report with you. They will clarify any diagnosis reached and provide you some education around it to better help you understand yourself. The recommendations provided in the report will be discussed with you and your psychologist will make clear you next best steps. This session will be conducted in a collaborative and compassionate manner as often it can feel overwhelming to receive a diagnosis. Our aim is that you will leave this session with a thorough understanding of your/your child’s diagnosis and how it is unique to you/them, and know what actions need to be taken in terms of supports and skills needed. You will be provided a PDF version of the assessment report for your personal use and a copy will also be provided to any referring/support professionals who would benefit from receiving the report.
Our assessment batteries have been developed in line with best practice principles and are extremely thorough. We utilise only the Gold Standard assessment tools for diagnostic purposes. These include (but are not limited to):
- WISC-V A&NZ (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th Edition)
- WIAT-III A&NZ (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – 3rd Edition)
- WAIS-IV A&NZ (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 4th Edition)
- WPPSI-IV A&NZ(Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intellignece-4th Edition)
- ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2nd Edition)
- ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised Edition)
- Vineland-3 (Comprehensive Adaptive Behaviour Scales - 3rd Edition)
- BRIEF-2 (Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – 2nd Edition)
- SRS-2 (Social Responsiveness Scale – 2nd Edition)
- Diagnositc Interview for ADHD in Adults-5
- Brief Sensory Profile Screener – 2
- Childhood Autism Rating Scale - 2
- The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)\
- Monteiro Interview Guidelines For Diagnosing Austism (MIGDAS-2)
Seeking and obtaining an accurate assessment will ensure that ongoing support and treatment plans are developed in line with the “root cause” of any challenges that you or your child may be experiencing. Whilst it can feel worrisome to seek a “label”, assessment will lead to a better understanding of yourself/your child and how you are unique as an individual.
Our fees vary depending on the type of assessment you are seeking. You will be provided a quote at intake and this will be all encompassing including:
- Initial interview
- Cognitive/academic assessment (as needed)
- Screening and questionnaires
- Specialised interview (as needed)
- Specialised behavioural observation (as needed)
- Report Preparation
- Feedback session
Please note that you cannot use a Metal Health Care Plan for assessment services. Those clients seeking an Autism assessment with a Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders referral are eligible for a rebate on up to 8 assessment services. If you have private health, please check with your provider with regard to any rebate you may be entitled to.
We are able to provide a finance option through EdStart to assist you with paying your assessment off over an extended period of time. There are no extra fees or charges associated with utilising our finance option and you are not charged interest over the period of your payment plan. Please speak with our intake team about this if you would like to take advantage of this service.
For more information in relation to EdStart finance, please see the following handout:
