COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
At The Lotus Psychology Practice, we offer comprehensive cognitive assessments for children and young people in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.
What is a Cognitive Assessment?
A cognitive assessment provides a detailed understanding of a child's thinking and learning abilities. It helps identify strengths, areas of difficulty, and the factors that may be affecting progress at school, home, or in everyday life.
At The Lotus Psychology Practice, our experienced psychologists provide comprehensive cognitive assessments to explore how a child processes information, solves problems, learns new skills, and applies knowledge. The assessment can help answer important questions about learning, attention, memory, executive functioning, and general cognitive ability.
Our goal is not simply to provide scores, but to develop a meaningful understanding of how your child learns and what support will help them thrive.
Who Can Benefit from a Cognitive Assessment?
A cognitive assessment may be helpful if your child:
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Is struggling academically despite appropriate support
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Finds it difficult to remember information or follow instructions
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Has difficulty with attention or concentration
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Has uneven strengths and difficulties across different subjects
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Has suspected learning difficulties, including global intellectual disability or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyscalculia
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Is being considered for additional educational support
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Requires a better understanding of their learning profile
An assessment can provide valuable information for parents, schools, and other professionals involved in supporting a child or young person. It can be helpful in evidencing and identifying specific needs when considering an Education, Health & Care Plan.
Why Choose a Comprehensive Cognitive Assessment at The Lotus Psychology Practice?
Not all cognitive assessments are the same. At The Lotus Psychology Practice, we take a comprehensive and formulation-led approach. We look beyond overall IQ scores to understand the factors that may be influencing learning, achievement, behaviour, and day-to-day functioning. Our comprehensive assessments use standardised and evidence-based tools to identify a young person's cognitive profile and includes:
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Developmental History
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School Information and liaison
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Overall IQ
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Verbal reasoning
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Visual spatial skills
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Processing speed
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Memory
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Academic ability and diagnosis of specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia and Dyscalculia
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Emotional wellbeing
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Attention and executive functioning
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Motor skills
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Screening for neurodevelopmental factors, including ADHD and Autism
By considering how these areas interact, we can develop a much clearer understanding of your child's strengths, difficulties, and support needs.
Understanding the why behind difficulties
Two children may present with very similar difficulties but require very different support. For example, challenges with reading comprehension, completing schoolwork, following instructions, or staying organised may be related to:
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Specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia
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Attention difficulties associated with ADHD
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Weak working memory
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Slower processing speed
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Executive functioning difficulties
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Anxiety or emotional factors
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A combination of several factors
Without a comprehensive assessment, it can be difficult to identify the underlying cause. Our assessments are designed to answer not only what difficulties are present, but why they may be occurring and what support is likely to be most effective.
What to Expect from our Cognitive Assessment
STEP 1: Pre-Assessment Questionnaires
An assessment will involve completing standardised and valudated pre-assessment questionnaires about your child, and providing a detailed education history from your child's school and information on their early development.
STEP 2: School Information
We will gather information from the school on strengths and difficulties observed by teachers.
STEP 3: Assessment Appointment
A psychologist will meet directly with your child for an in-depth cognitive assessment, using evidence-based and standardised assessment tools. This will involve some puzzles, questions and academic work. The session can last up to 3 hours, with regular breaks as needed for each child.
STEP 4: Report & Feedback
After the assessment you will be offered a feedback session to discuss the findings and answer any questions you may have. You will be provided with a detailed report with individualised recommendations that can be shared with schools. This will include signposting to services and information sources.