Assessments

I offer a range of assessment services to help parents, schools, and young people gain clarity around cognitive functioning, emotional development, academic performance, and future planning.

These assessments are always tailored to the child or adolescent’s unique needs, and results are shared in clear, accessible ways.

🧩 Psycho-Educational Assessments

These assessments explore how a child learns, processes, and functions across key developmental areas.

I use a combination of standardised tests, interviews, and observations to build a full picture of the learner’s cognitive, emotional, and academic profile.

  • Identify learning barriers or diagnoses (e.g., Specific Learning Disorders, ADHD)

  • Understand a learner’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses along with overall cognitive functioning

  • Guide school placement, subject support, or classroom accommodations

  • Provide documentation for accommodations/concessions (IEB, WCED, or Cambridge)

  • Provide documentation for university accommodations/concessions

Purpose of Psycho-Educational Assessments

• Struggles with reading, writing, or maths

• Attention difficulties (e.g., ADHD)

• Poor school performance despite good effort

• Emotional or behavioural challenges

• Request for school concessions (see list of possible accommodations here)

Common reasons for referral include:

🧒 School Readiness Assessments

Designed for learners in Grade R or those turning 6, this assessment evaluates a child’s preparedness for the demands of formal schooling.

  • Cognitive skills (concept formation, reasoning)

  • Language development and communication

  • Fine and gross motor coordination

  • Social-emotional readiness and behavioural regulation

  • Self-help and independence skills

This assessment focuses on:

  • “Is my child ready for Grade 1?”

  • “Are there areas that need support before the school transition?”

  • “Would an additional year of play-based learning be beneficial?”

It helps answer:

🎓 Subject Choice & Career Assessments

For older learners, these assessments help guide subject selection or post-school planning. I integrate cognitive measures, interest inventories, personality profiles, and values clarification to support informed, confident decision-making.

  • Align subject choices with cognitive strengths and future career interests.

  • Explore vocational options using a constructivist counselling approach

  • Foster ownership and self-awareness in career decision-making

  • Reduce anxiety around “making the wrong choice”

This is ideal for Grade 9s choosing FET subjects or Grade 11/12 learners preparing for life after school.

This assessment helps to:

Overview of the assessment process

  • An initial session (comprising of at least one parent).

    This occurs on the morning of the assessment or before (9:00am start) and lasts for approximately 30 – 40 minutes.

    This session provides an opportunity to clarify elements of the intake questionaire,  go through the procedure, manage any anxiety and simply for me to gain further information in order to best serve your child.

    This also provides you with a chance to elaborate on any concerns or have any questions you may answered. 

  • The educational assessment itself then is administered throughout the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon.

    I use a variety of different tools such as the WISC/WAIS (IQ testing), WIAT (scholastic testing), psycho-motor functioning, emotional and behavioural-orientated tests, screeners for ADHD, Anxiety etc.

    This allows me to gain a thorough understanding of any contributing factors impacting your child’s academic functioning.

    During this time we will take several breaks to give your child adequate rest. We generally finish somewhere between 12:30 and 13:30pm depending on various factors but contact will always be made during the day to communicate times.

    Kindly note for this session your child should be dressed comfortably and lunch should be packed.

  • During this time, review the data from the assessment session and interpret the results in the context of your child’s development, behaviour, and educational environment.

    If necessary, I contact your child’s school for further information or at times conduct a classroom observation.

  • You receive a comprehensive report explaining your child’s strengths, difficulties, and any relevant diagnoses. I include clear, practical recommendations tailored for home and school.

  • The feedback session is generally 50 minutes long and occurs within 3 weeks after the completion of the educational assessment. This is then communicated during the feedback session and a comprehensive report is emailed to the parents. 

    It is preferable that both parents attend this session.