Neuropsychology Assessments
We provide in-house Neuropsychology Assessments suitable from the age of 2½ years – 19 years.
Neuropsychological Assessments are comprehensive evaluations conducted by our experienced psychologists and psychometricians. They help children better understand their cognitive, academic, and emotional strengths and challenges. This is to optimise their performance in school, at home, and with friends by using the most effective strategies based on their strengths and limitations.
We will take several factors into account, including an individual’s family and medical history, social and emotional functioning, academic achievement and cognitive skills, as well as their attention and focus. The results will yield important information about how to help your child thrive and we will provide a personalised plan and recommendations for educational support, interventions, and accommodations.
Why Might My Child Benefit from a Neuropsychology Assessment?
There are many different reasons why a family may choose to seek a Neuropsychology Assessment; we have included some examples below:
- You want to understand your child’s general cognitive profile and how best to support them at home and in their academic journey
- To identify strengths and any areas of challenge, in order to support you in making informed decisions about interventions, supports, and educational planning for your child
- If you have any general learning, social or behavioural concerns about your child or want to know if they may have a specific learning difficulty such as Dyslexia, or a processing disorder present
- If your child has a diagnosis (such as ADHD or autism) and you want to assess how this impacts their cognitive processes and learning
- If your child has a diagnosed medical condition, such as Epilepsy or a history of head injury, seizures, prematurity, genetic conditions, or other medical issues and you want to understand how these affect cognitive and emotional development
- You want to submit a detailed report as part of your child’s EHCP application
- If your child has emotional or mental health concerns; sometimes anxiety, depression, or trauma can interfere with learning and memory. Testing can help tease apart whether challenges are primarily cognitive, emotional, or both
The Assessment process
Once your assessment has been booked, we will ask you to complete some questionnaires to help us gain a better understanding of your child and their needs. With your consent, we will also contact your child’s school to gather information about how they are managing in the classroom, including their strengths, any challenges they may be experiencing, and the support they currently receive.
A day or so before your child’s assessment, our Clinical Psychologist will arrange a telephone call with you to discuss your child’s history, any current concerns, and what to expect during the assessment. This conversation helps ensure that we have a thorough understanding of your child’s needs before meeting them in clinic.
The in-person assessment itself will take approximately 3½ – 4 hours and will include your child completing a series of different tasks with the Psychologist, who will make the process as fun and relaxed as possible. Children tend to enjoy the assessments, and we will tailor the tests based on the age and engagement of each individual. We want to challenge them appropriately, make use of breaks, and to optimise their performance throughout the test.
In order to get the most accurate snapshot of children’s abilities and to minimise distractions and outside influences, the tests are carried out directly with the child with the clinician. Parents are not present in the room during the assessment itself as most children work better when unaccompanied. Parents might be involved in the initial consultations and at the start of the assessment, and are of course welcome to stay on site the whole time in the waiting area. If your child is of any age where they are happy to be left, you may leave (please stay local), and we can give you a call as to when to return.
A feedback session will be provided after the assessment; this will not be on the day, as it will take time to collate and score all the information.
Following the assessment, we will arrange a feedback session to discuss the findings in detail. As the assessment information and standardised test results need to be carefully scored and interpreted, this appointment will take place on a separate day.
You will also receive a comprehensive written report within 21 working days. The report will explain your child’s performance across each assessment, comparing their results with those expected for children of the same age. It will include a summary of the key findings, any diagnoses (where appropriate), and personalised recommendations to support your child at home, in school, and in everyday life. We recommend sharing the report with your child’s school, GP, and any other professionals involved in their care to help ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to supporting them.
Assessments take place in calm, welcoming therapy rooms designed to help children and young people feel at ease. Depending on your child’s age and needs, we may bring in resources or toys to support the process. The rooms are not pre-filled with these items, as we want to create a comfortable environment without unnecessary distractions.
The Difference Between an Educational Psychology Assessment and a Neuropsychology Assessment
We provide both Educational Psychology Assessments and Neuropsychology Assessments within our clinic and appreciate that it can be confusing to know which one is most suitable for your child. Although there are many crossovers between the two, there are also some vast differences and while both types of assessments provide valuable insights, they serve different purposes and require different approaches.
- A Neuropsychology Assessment is provided by a Clinical Psychologist with training in neuropsychology, whereas an Educational Psychology Assessment is provided by an Educational Psychologist.
- An Educational Psychology Assessment mainly focuses on how a person learns, what factors might be influencing their learning, and what strategies can be employed to enhance their educational experience.
- Neuropsychology Assessments help in addressing academic challenges in the same way that an Educational Psychology Assessment would, but also focus on social and emotional development, executive functioning, attention and promoting overall well-being. They are a longer more in-depth, more holistic assessment
- Our Educational Psychology Assessments are suitable for those aged 6 and over, whereas our Neuropsychology Assessments are suitable for those as young as 2.5 years.
In summary, an Educational Psychology Assessment will mainly focus on academic skills; evaluating proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, and other school-related subjects. It will look at learning styles, identifying preferred methods and environments for learning and examine general behaviours that might impact learning, such as attention issues or social interactions.
A Neuropsychology Assessment will look at IQ and measure general intellectual ability, but will also look at memory, assessing short-term and long-term memory capacity, executive function skills such as planning, organisation, and flexibility. It will test the ability to focus and sustain attention over time and assess language skills looking at both receptive and expressive language abilities and goes beyond what an Educational Psychology Assessment will examine.
Fees
A full Neuropsychology Assessment is charged at £1,595. This is inclusive of the pre-assessment telephone call, the formal assessment, the post-assessment feedback call and the formal report. A deposit is required to secure the booking and the remaining balance can be paid in installments.
Neuropsychology Assessments are provided by our HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sabey: Registration PYL32791