Psychological Assessments

Assessment Services

All psychologists working for AYC Psychology and Assessment Services use a range of assessment techniques which highlight both an individual’s strengths and areas of development.

Cognition and learning assessments

Each assessment builds on strong psychological principles and focuses on providing information relating to:

Rate of academic progress.

Reading, writing and numeracy skills.

Identification of dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Concentration and attention.

Retention of information.

Organisational skills.

Executive functioning, including working memory, speed of information processing etc.

Ability to understand and follow the school routine and classroom demands/expectations.

Neuro-developmental conditions such as autism, attention deficit.

Hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiance disorder and dyspraxia.

How the individual’s learning scenario could be improved.

Curriculum access and appropriateness of curriculum diet.

The potential for exam concessions.

The learning/school context i.e. situations where individuals are most likely to meet difficulties in their learning.

Specific ways in which individual’s approach learning tasks.

Identification of emotional as well as cognitive features of an individual’s learning.

A detailed picture of the amount and type of input that will be necessary to bring about the required amount of change.

Speech, language & communication

Speech and language assessments which look at some or all of the following:

The development of communicative intent.

Expressive language skills.

Receptive language skills.

Speech-sound systems and phonological accuracy.

Social communication skills.

Social, emotional and mental health

Assessments which look at some or all of the following areas

The triggers to a child/young person’s behaviours.

The purpose and functionality of the child/young person’s or adult’s current behaviours.

Identification of skills which would enable a child/young person or adult to demonstrate more positive behavioural responses.

Identification of skills which would lead to a child/young person or adult exhibiting more desirable responses or patterns of behaviour.

The development of environmental and or personal strategies which would support a child/young person to demonstrate positive and sustained behavioural changes.

Specialised assessments

AYC Psychology and Assessment Services offers specialised assessments in the following areas:

Full psychological assessments of children to include their current presentation and the impact that any adverse childhood experiences may have had upon their cognitive, social and behavioural development.

Assessments of children’s attachments and the reasons for this.

Assessments of children’s therapeutic needs and advice and recommendations regarding how these could be best met.

Cognitive assessments of adults to inform parenting support and intervention. Assessments of children and adults to determine their capacity to plead or instruct counsel.

Full psychological assessments of adults to include: childhood experiences, mental health needs and/or learning needs and the impact that these may have had upon their own presentation.

Assessments can also consider an adult’s capacity to meet their child’s basic and emotional needs as well as their ability to identify and manage risk.

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