Location | Task | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | TMC Rozelle | Initial Consultation and Diagnostic Interview | 1 hour |
Stage 2 | TMC Rozelle | Brief Interview with Child and Cognitive Assessment and Standardised Questionnaires | 2 hours |
Stage 3 | TMC Rozelle | Assessment Feedback with Report and Recommendations | 1 hour |
Time | Location | Task | |
|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | 1 hour | TMC Rozelle | Initial Consultation and Diagnostic Interview |
Stage 2 | 2 hours | TMC Rozelle | Brief Interview with Child and Cognitive Assessment and Standardised Questionnaires |
Stage 3 | 1 hour | TMC Rozelle | Assessment Feedback with Report and Recommendations |
Cognitive (or intellectual) assessments provide information about thinking and reasoning abilities as well as identify any unique strengths and weaknesses and is commonly referred to as a person’s ‘IQ’. These assessments can identify intellectual giftedness or intellectual disability and are administered when assessing for other common disorders, such as learning disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
These assessments are important for developing individualised learning strategies and intervention programs and assessing eligibility for streamed classes or selective school intake. Cognitive Assessments provide information about the following cognitive areas:
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Verbal Comprehension: The ability to think about verbal information, express word meanings, and verbalise meaningful conceptual information.
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Visual Spatial: Attention to visual detail, understand visual-spatial and part-whole relationships, and visual-motor integration.
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Fluid Reasoning: The ability to detect the underlying conceptual relationship among visual objects and to use reasoning to identify and apply rules.
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Working Memory: The capacity to exert mental control to attend to and hold information in short term memory while performing some operation or manipulation with it.
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Processing Speed: The ability to scan quickly and correctly a sequence or discriminate simple visual information.
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Cognitive Proficiency: A combination of working memory and processing speed which provides information about how effectively a person can process certain types of cognitive information.
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General Ability: An alternate way to view someone’s intelligence, which places less emphasis on working memory and processing speed to provide an understanding of how a person thinks even if they have difficulty efficiently processing information.
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Non-Verbal Intelligence: An alternate way to view someone’s intelligence that does not require verbal responses from a person.
The Mind Clinic provides cognitive assessment for children, adolescents, and adults. Assessment occurs over a 2-week period.
Summary of Assessment Process
Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
TASK | Initial consultation and diagnostic interview | Brief interview with child + cognitive assessment and standardised questionnaires | Assessment feedback with Report and Recommendations |
LOCATION | TMC Rozelle | TMC Rozelle | TMC Rozelle |
TIME | 1 hour | 2 hours | 1 hour |
Intellectual Giftedness
Giftedness assessments can be administered to children or adults and involve administering a standardised IQ test to assess whether a client’s cognitive abilities lie in the range that is considered 'gifted'.
Children who are at school and identified as gifted often need to be given extra work to keep them engaged, motivated and ‘stretched’ with their learning. These assessments can also be used for entrance to some schools, and for adults can be used for applications to societies such as MENSA.
Giftedness assessments require 3 sessions with a Psychologist and involve an initial 50 minute interview with a parent/carer or the adult client, one two-hour assessment session, and a 30-45 minute feedback session to explain the results and provide a comprehensive written report.
Intellectual Disability
What is Intellectual Disability?
Intellectual Disability (or Intellectual Developmental Disorder) is a condition characterized by challenges in general mental abilities, impacting intellectual functions like learning, problem-solving, and judgment, as well as adaptive behaviour such as communication and independent living skills. These difficulties typically emerge early in a person's development. Approximately 1% of the population is affected by Intellectual Disability, with a higher likelihood of diagnosis in males compared to females.
How is Intellectual Disability Diagnosed?
To diagnose Intellectual Disability, a person's challenges in both intellectual and adaptive functioning are evaluated. Intellectual functioning is assessed using reliable, thorough, and culturally appropriate intelligence tests. These tests yield a full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) and offer insights into an individual's specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Adaptive functioning is assessed through standardised questionnaires administered to caregivers or the individual. These questionnaires cover Conceptual Functioning (language, reading, writing, math, reasoning, knowledge, memory), Social Functioning (empathy, social judgment, communication skills, ability to follow rules, and establish/maintain friendships), and Practical Functioning (independence in personal care, job responsibilities, money management, recreation, and organizing tasks at school or work).
What causes Intellectual Disability?
There can be many different causes of intellectual disability. It can be associated with a genetic syndrome such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome. It may also result from factors such as illnesses (e.g., meningitis or whooping cough) or childhood exposure to toxins like drugs, lead, or mercury. Complications during childbirth, including infections during pregnancy, can also contribute to the development of intellectual disability.
What Treatment is available?
Intellectual Disability is a life-long condition. The presence of underlying medical or genetic conditions, along with co-occurring conditions, can bring added challenges and complexity to the lives of individuals with Intellectual Disability. However, early, and ongoing intervention can improve a person’s functioning and empower them to thrive throughout their lifetime. Once a diagnosis is made, funding and supporting may be available through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Support is typically focused on recognising and bolstering an individual’s strengths, identifying their needs, and determining the necessary supports to facilitate optimal functioning at home, school, or work, and within the community.