Assessment

Comprehensive Developmental & Educational Assessments

Elyse offers comprehensive developmental and educational assessments for children, adolescents, and young adults aged 5–25 years. These assessments are designed to provide a deep understanding of how a young person thinks, learns, behaves, and experiences the world, and most importantly, why they may be experiencing challenges.

Difficulties in learning, behaviour, social relationships, or emotional wellbeing are rarely caused by just one factor. For example, attention difficulties may be linked to ADHD, anxiety, learning differences, sleep challenges, or a combination of factors. A narrow assessment may only identify part of the picture.

A comprehensive assessment:

  • Examines cognitive, academic, behavioural, social, and emotional functioning together

  • Identifies both strengths and areas of difficulty

  • Differentiates between overlapping conditions

  • Clarifies complex or unclear presentations

  • Provides tailored, practical recommendations

  • Prevents misdiagnosis or incomplete understanding

Rather than simply labelling a difficulty, the goal is to uncover the underlying reasons for a young person’s struggles and provide a clear roadmap forward.

What Can a Comprehensive Assessment Identify?

A comprehensive assessment may explore and clarify the presence of:

  • Autism

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Specific Learning Disorders (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia, written expression difficulties)

  • Intellectual Disability

  • Giftedness or twice-exceptionality

  • Executive functioning difficulties

  • Processing speed or working memory challenges

  • Social communication differences

  • Emotional or behavioural concerns impacting learning

Often, families seek assessment when a young person is:

  • Falling behind academically

  • Struggling with attention, organisation, or motivation

  • Experiencing social challenges

  • Feeling anxious or overwhelmed at school

  • Not reaching their potential despite effort

  • Described as “bright but not achieving”

A comprehensive assessment helps explain why these challenges are occurring and what supports will make the greatest difference.

What Does the Assessment Process Involve?

Each assessment is tailored to the referral question and individual needs. Assessment costs typically range from $1,600 to $4,000, depending on factors such as the reason for referral, number of sessions required, and measures administered.

Assessment packages generally include:

  1. Intake Assessment Interview: A detailed meeting with parents/caregivers (and the young person where appropriate) to gather developmental history, educational background, and current concerns.

  2. Classroom Observation (where appropriate): Observation of the young person in their learning environment to understand real-world functioning and contextual factors.

  3. Clinical Interviews: Structured or semi-structured interviews to explore emotional, behavioural, and social functioning.

  4. Questionnaires: Standardised rating scales completed by parents, teachers, and/or the young person to provide multi-informant perspectives.

  5. Testing Sessions: Individual sessions involving standardised cognitive, academic, and/or diagnostic assessments tailored to the referral question.

  6. Assessment Scoring, Interpretation & Report Writing: Comprehensive analysis and integration of all findings to form a clear diagnostic and functional understanding.

  7. Feedback Session: A dedicated session to explain findings in clear, supportive language, answer questions, and discuss next steps.

  8. Comprehensive Report & Recommendations: A detailed written report outlining:

    • Background information

    • Assessment results

    • Diagnoses (if applicable)

    • Strengths and areas of need

    • Clear, practical recommendations for home, school, and other settings