For families asking why a capable child is struggling at school. A psycho-educational assessment builds a clear picture of how your child thinks, learns and processes information — and what support will actually help.
Many families come to us with a similar concern: their child is clearly bright and tries hard, but something isn't clicking at school. Despite effort and support from teachers, reading feels like a struggle, written work doesn't reflect what they know, or maths just won't stick. A psycho-educational assessment helps answer why — and more importantly, what to do about it.
At Neighbourhood Psychology, our psycho-educational assessments are designed to be practical and actionable. The goal isn't just a label — it's a clear understanding of your child's individual profile that teachers, schools and families can use.
What's involved: A comprehensive psycho-educational assessment for children and adolescents. Identifies learning difficulties including dyslexia, processing speed differences, memory profiles and intellectual ability. Reports are practical and actionable — written for families, schools, GPs, and NDIS plans. NDIS funding may be available for assessment costs.
A psycho-educational assessment explores the relationship between how your child thinks and how they perform at school. This typically includes:
Testing draws on the Woodcock-Johnson IV as the primary cognitive and academic battery, alongside other standardised measures selected to fit your child's age and the questions the assessment needs to answer.
A psycho-educational assessment can help clarify whether your child has a specific learning difficulty, an uneven cognitive profile, or simply a different learning style that needs a different approach. Common findings include:
It's worth noting that learning difficulties can occur alongside ADHD, anxiety or autism. A psycho-educational assessment can help clarify what's primarily driving a child's difficulties, and whether a broader assessment may also be warranted.
This is where a psycho-educational assessment earns its value. The written report we provide can be used to:
We also provide a clear feedback session where we walk you through the results in plain language — what they mean for your child day to day, and what the practical next steps are.
A psycho-educational assessment may be worth considering if your child:
A psycho-educational assessment focuses on cognitive abilities and academic skills — it answers questions about how a child reads, writes, processes information and learns. An ADHD or autism assessment focuses on neurodevelopmental profile, attention, executive function and social communication. These can overlap, and combined assessments are available where multiple concerns exist. We'll discuss with you which assessment best fits your referral questions.
Yes. Our comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment covers cognitive ability, learning, ADHD and autism in one integrated process. This is more efficient than booking separately and produces a single report that explains how all the pieces connect. See our assessment fees page for pricing.
Psycho-educational assessments generally require 2–4 sessions depending on the scope of cognitive and academic testing required. Your psychologist will discuss the expected process with you at the initial consultation.
An MHCP is not required to book an assessment — parents can contact us directly. However, a GP referral may support a Medicare rebate for some parts of the process.
In most cases, a parent or caregiver will need to be present — particularly for younger children. This can be flexible depending on age and circumstances, and some background information can be gathered via questionnaire or Telehealth. Please contact us to discuss your child's specific situation.
Yes. Reports from registered psychologists are the standard required by schools for adjustments, support plans and exam accommodations. We provide comprehensive written reports that clearly outline findings and recommendations in the format schools and funding bodies require.
You're in the right place. Get in touch directly or book an initial appointment online. We'll talk through what the school has observed, what questions you want answered, and which assessment type makes the most sense.
A clear assessment gives families, teachers and children themselves the insight they need to move forward with confidence.
