Assessment for Children and Teenagers

Our specialist assessments are designed to answer the following questions:

What is the concern?

What is the impact on academic performance?

What can be done about it?

We offer straightforward answers to direct questions.

Your child is underachieving at school.

There is family history of dyslexia and your child is showing similar symptoms.

School say they are not qualified to identify dyslexia.

You need advice about what support you can expect from school.

You think your child needs additional time during examinations.

You want to find out if you qualify for the Disabled Students Allowance.

The list of possible situations is very long. Basically, you suspect that your child has a learning difficulty and don’t know what to do.

We can help.

Parents and school are asked to complete questionnaires so that the areas of concern from both sides are clear. In this way, the psychologist knows how to focus the report so that concerns are directly addressed for both school and the child.

HDL psychologists use standardised tests to closely examine the individual’s thinking skills profile. The pattern of relative strengths and weaknesses will reveal what the underlying difficulty is.

Typically, we find that working (“short term”) memory skills and speed of information processing are relative weaknesses. This can lead to problems in phonics, basic literacy and numeracy, organisation and prioritising skills, attention to detail, communication skills, interpersonal behaviour, anxiety and self-esteem.

Additional diagnostic tests and observations about school difficulties from parents and teachers help to build a comprehensive picture for analysis.

Remember, we offer straightforward answers to direct questions.

People who come for assessment almost always report that they find the experience challenging, but enjoyable. HDL psychologists are excellent at building rapport and helping individuals overcome any fear they may have about the process.

We know you want plain speaking and direct advice. Our highly structured, jargon-free written reports contain separate sections designed to inform parents and school what they should do.