Assessments Overview

Autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, IQ, cognitive and psychoeducational assessment in Melbourne.

An assessment is for the times when you need a clear picture rather than another theory. It identifies strengths as well as difficulties, and it should end with recommendations specific enough to act on.

What an assessment is actually for

People come to assessment from two directions: wanting a name for something, or wanting to know what would help. A good assessment answers both.

It gathers information from more than one source, standardised testing alongside developmental history, observation, and what the people who know the person best have noticed at home, at school or at work. Then it sets that against the current diagnostic criteria and says what follows.

Sometimes the outcome is a diagnosis. Sometimes it is a clear no, which is its own kind of useful. Either way you should leave with an explanation of what is hard and why, and a set of recommendations that name specific things to do next.

An assessment is not always the right first step. If what you are describing sounds like it would be better served by a term of therapy, a conversation with the school, or simply more time, we will tell you that before you pay for anything.

Types of assessment

Six assessments, each answering a different question. If you are not sure which one applies, ask us rather than working it out first.

Autism assessment

Communication, social interaction, sensory experience, play or interests and developmental history, gathered across settings and set against the current diagnostic criteria.

ADHD assessment

Attention, activity levels, impulsivity and executive functioning, assessed with information from home and from school or work rather than from one setting alone.

Intellectual disability assessment

Cognitive ability assessed alongside adaptive functioning, the everyday skills someone uses at home, at school and in the community.

IQ assessment

A standardised measure of cognitive ability across verbal reasoning, visual reasoning, working memory and processing speed.

Cognitive assessment

A broader look at attention, memory, processing speed, language and problem solving, for when something has changed or a decision needs evidence behind it.

Psychoeducational assessment

Cognitive ability set against academic achievement in reading, writing and maths, which separates a learning difficulty from a teaching gap.

How We Work

Step 1

Start the Conversation

Tell us about your concerns, goals and what you're hoping to achieve.

Step 2

Understand Your Needs

We take the time to understand your situation and recommend the services that best support your individual.

Step 3

Create Your Personalised Plan

Together, we develop a coordinated plan tailored to your strengths, goals and circumstances.

Step 4

Grow With Confidence

As your needs evolve, your support evolves too. Our team continues working alongside you to promote meaningful progress and long-term success.

Reports and recommendations

A report nobody uses is an expensive document. Ours are written to be handed to a school, a GP, a specialist or an NDIS planner and understood without translation.

Recommendations often point back to our own services, and we are aware how that reads. You are under no obligation to take them up with us. If another provider is closer, cheaper or a better fit, we will say so, and the report is yours either way.

What we cannot do is guarantee an outcome. Access decisions are made by the agency or the school, not by us. Tell us at intake what the report is for and we will make sure it covers what that process asks for.

What the report contains

  • What was assessed and how, including which tools were used, so another clinician can see the working

  • Strengths as well as difficulties. A profile that only lists deficits is not an accurate profile.

  • A clear outcome, stated plainly, including when the outcome is that the criteria are not met.

  • Recommendations specific enough to act on, for home, for the classroom and for any therapy that would help.

  • Evidence in the form funding bodies expect, where the assessment is being used for an access request or a plan review.

Fees and funding

We will tell you which apply to you, and what you would be out of pocket, before you commit to anything.

Private payment

No referral and no eligibility decision to wait on. The fee is quoted in writing before the first appointment.

Medicare

Rebates for eligible services with a GP referral and care plan. A rebate covers part of the fee rather than all of it.

Private health

Depends on your level of cover and your remaining extras limit. Your fund can confirm before you book.

NDIS

Assessment is funded in some plans and not others, and generally not purely to obtain a diagnosis for access. We will check with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can't see your question?

Our team is happy to talk it through before you book anything.

Do I need a referral for an assessment?

Not to book one with us. You can contact us directly and pay privately. A referral matters for funding rather than for access: Medicare rebates need a GP referral and care plan, and some specialists will ask for one. We will tell you which applies to your situation before you book.

How long does an assessment take?

It depends on the type and the person. Most involve an intake conversation, more than one testing session, questionnaires completed by people who know the person well, then a feedback session and a written report. We will give you the number of appointments and a realistic timeframe for the report in writing before you commit.

What if the assessment does not find anything?

That is a real result, not a wasted one. Ruling something out narrows the field, and the profile of strengths and difficulties still explains what is hard and points at what would help. You get the same recommendations either way.

Will the report be accepted by the NDIS or my child's school?

Our reports are written in the form these bodies expect, with the assessment tools named and functional impact described rather than implied. What we cannot do is guarantee an outcome, since access decisions are made by the agency or the school, not by us. Tell us at intake what the report is for and we will make sure it covers what that process asks for.

We already have an old report. Do we need to start again?

Often not. Send it to us and we will tell you whether it still stands, whether it needs updating, or whether only part of it needs redoing. Repeating testing too soon can distort results, so there are good clinical reasons not to reassess as well as financial ones.

Let's Take The

First Step Together

Whether you're seeking support for yourself, your child or a loved one, we're here to listen, understand and help you move forward with confidence.

From assessment and therapy to counselling, disability support and home care, our team is committed to providing personalised care that empowers individuals and strengthens families.

Compassionate

We care deeply about the people we support, and it shows in how we work.

Experienced

Qualified clinicians who supervise each other and keep learning.

Here for you

Support that stays with you as your needs change, not just at the start.

We honour the diverse communities such as the LGBTQ of which we are a part and we celebrate the extraordinary diversity of people that each represent.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands. We pay respect to Elders, past and present and acknowledge the ongoing connection that Aboriginal people have to this land and recognise Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land.

Aboriginal peoples of the Kulin Nations are the Traditional Custodians of the lands now named City of Greater Dandenong. Those who live, work and contribute to the municipality walk in the footsteps of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Peoples, and are enriched by Australia’s First Peoples experiences, cultures, histories and knowledge.