Assessments at Little Insights

Understanding your young person, together

Starting the assessment journey can bring up lots of feelings curiosity, relief, uncertainty, hope… and sometimes a few nerves too.

That’s completely normal.

At Little Insights, we know that assessments can feel a little overwhelming at first, especially when you’re trying to make sense of what’s been happening for your child or young person. Our role is to walk alongside you through the process with warmth, clarity and support.

We want you to feel informed, comfortable and genuinely cared for every step of the way.

What is an assessment?

Assessments help us build a deeper understanding of your young person’s strengths, challenges, learning profile, development and emotional wellbeing.

They are not about “finding something wrong”. They are about understanding your young person more deeply, including how they think, learn, communicate, cope and manage everyday life.

Depending on your young person’s needs, an assessment may explore areas such as:

  • Autism

  • ADHD

  • Cognitive and IQ

  • Giftedness & Academic Achievement

  • Emotional, behavioural or developmental concerns

  • Functional capacity

Every young person is different, so each assessment pathway is tailored to their needs, your family’s concerns and the questions you would like answered.

Not sure what assessment your Young Person may needs?

That's okay, many families don't.

We start with an Assessment Intake Session to understand your concerns and your child's history.

Together, we create a tailored Assessment Plan that outlines recommended assessments and provides clear information about time and costs.

Types of Assessments we provide

Autism Assessments

Social communication

Interests & behaviour

Sensory processing

Daily living & independence

ADHD Assessments

Attention & focus

Impulsivity & activity level

Executive functioning

Emotional regulation

Cognitive & IQ Assessments

Thinking & reasoning

Learning potential

Processing speed

Cognitive strengths

Giftedness Assessments

High ability identification

Advanced reasoning

Creativity & motivation

Asynchronous development

Learning: Dyslexia & Specific Learning Disorder

Reading & spelling

Written expression

Maths & numeracy

Learning profile & supports

What happens during the assessment process?

The process usually includes:

  1. Assessment Intake Session
    We meet with parents or caregivers to understand your young person’s history, strengths, challenges, current supports and the reasons you are seeking assessment.

  2. Assessment Plan
    Your clinician recommends an assessment pathway and explains what is involved before testing begins, including fees, timeframes and next steps.

  3. Assessment sessions
    Assessment sessions may include play-based activities, standardised tasks, observations, questionnaires and information from parents, teachers or other professionals. We aim to make the experience calm, supportive and young-person friendly.

  4. Review and interpretation
    Your clinician carefully reviews the information gathered and considers what the results mean for your young person’s development, learning and support needs.

  5. Feedback and report
    At the feedback session your psychologist will take you through the written report, explain the findings in clear language, answer your questions and discuss practical recommendations and next steps.

Fees and payment

Following your Intake Session, you’ll receive a personalised Assessment Plan outlining recommended assessments and associated fees before proceeding.

We aim to keep the process transparent and supportive, with space to ask questions at every stage.

We may also be able to support families accessing:

  • Medicare rebates (where eligible)

  • NDIS funding

For current fee information, please visit our Schedule of Fees page.

Common questions about assessments

 

I’m not sure which assessment my child needs. Is that okay?

Yes. Many families are unsure at the beginning. The Assessment Intake Session is designed to help clarify which pathway may be most helpful before any testing begins.

Can one assessment look at more than one area?

Often, yes. Some young people benefit from an assessment that explores more than one area, such as learning, attention, autism-related features, emotional wellbeing, cognitive ability or adaptive functioning.

When more than one question is being explored, some components may be integrated into one coordinated assessment plan. This helps avoid unnecessary duplication and allows the clinician to recommend the most appropriate approach.

Will the assessment provide a diagnosis?

Some assessments may result in a diagnosis, while others may focus on understanding your young person’s profile, strengths, needs and recommended supports.

Your clinician will explain what the assessment is designed to explore and what kinds of outcomes may be possible before testing begins.

How long does the assessment process usually take?

Timeframes vary depending on the type of assessment, your family’s availability, the amount of testing required, whether teacher input or school observations are needed, and the time required for interpretation and report writing.

As a general guide, many assessments take approximately two months from the initial intake session through to the final report and feedback session.

What forms or information do we need to provide?

Once your intake session is booked, we will send a welcome email with next steps. This may include background history forms and screening questionnaires to complete before your appointment.

We may also ask for information from teachers, schools, kinder, GPs, paediatricians or other professionals where relevant.

What happens after the assessment?

After testing is complete, your clinician reviews the results and prepares recommendations based on your young person’s profile and support needs.

You will attend a feedback session to discuss the findings, ask questions and understand the next steps. You will also receive a written report that can be shared with other professionals with your consent.

?What is the first step?

The first step is to book an Assessment Intake Session. This gives your family and the psychologist an opportunity to understand your young person’s needs and decide on the most appropriate assessment pathway before testing begins.

What if I have questions before booking?

You are welcome to contact our team before booking an Assessment Intake Session.

Our reception team can help with general information about our assessment services, appointment availability, fees and what to expect. For questions that relate specifically to your young person’s development, presentation or clinical needs, the best place to explore these in detail is during the Assessment Intake Session.

.We use a range of evidence-based assessment tools to help us better understand your child’s strengths, learning profile, development, emotional wellbeing and support needs.

Every assessment is tailored to the individual child, which means not every assessment tool will be used for every family.

Depending on your child’s needs, our clinicians may use a combination of interviews, observations, questionnaires and standardised assessments, measures and screeners.

Assessment tools we may use

  • Examples may include WISC-V, WPPSI-IV, WIAT-III and related measures of thinking, learning, memory and academic skills.

  • Examples may include ADOS-2, ADI-R, SRS-2, CARS-2 and developmental observations.

  • Examples may include Conners-4, BRIEF-2, clinical interviews and behavioural rating measures.

  • Examples may include BASC-3, CBCL, clinical interviews and school or parent questionnaires.

  • Examples may include Vineland-3 and sensory questionnaires to understand everyday skills and sensory needs.

  • With consent, we may liaise with teachers, educators, GPs, paediatricians, speech pathologists or occupational therapists.

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re wondering whether an assessment could help your child, start with an intake appointment. We’ll listen to your concerns, answer your questions and help you understand the most appropriate next step.

Book an Assessment Intake