Assessments

Thinking Otter Psychology provides comprehensive assessment services to help families better understand their child's unique way of thinking, learning, and experiencing the world.

We offer evidence-based psychological assessments to explore areas of neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD, as well as cognitive abilities, learning skills, and social-emotional development. Our assessments are carefully tailored to each child and aim to provide clear, meaningful insights that help parents and caregivers better understand their child and how best to support them. Each assessment includes personalised, practical recommendations to guide support at home, school, and in the wider community, promoting your child’s development and wellbeing.

Families may seek an assessment if they have questions or concerns about their child’s development, learning, or emotional wellbeing, including areas such as:

• Communication 
• Social skills and friendships
• Managing emotions and "big feelings"
• Behaviour at home and at school
• Attention, focus, or activity levels
• Thinking and problem solving
• Learning and academic progress
• Confidence and self-esteem

We provide cognitive assessments for children and adolescents aged 3–17 years, using the Wechsler measures (WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, and WAIS-V, depending on the client's age).

Cognitive assessments can assist in identifying:

• Intellectual disability (ID)
• Giftedness 
• Learning differences 
• Educational support needs 

We offer educational assessments for children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, using measures such as the WIAT III and CTOPP-2. The selection of assessment tools and subtests is individualised and tailored to each child’s specific needs. Social, emotional, and behavioural wellbeing is also explored using standardised questionnaires (e.g., BASC-3) to support a comprehensive understanding of the child’s learning profile.

When combined with a cognitive assessment, an educational assessment provides a comprehensive picture of a child’s learning profile and helps identify:

• Specific Learning Disorders (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia)
• Individualised and practical support strategies that align with a child’s unique way of learning.

We offer ADHD assessments for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years, using a range of  tools, including clinical interviews (e.g. Young DIVA-5) and questionnaires (e.g. Conners, BRIEF-2, Brown EF/A).

With these assessments, we aim to help families better understand their child’s attention, activity level, impulse control, emotional regulation, and how these factors impact learning, behaviour, and everyday functioning across home and school environments. Where appropriate, a cognitive assessment may also contribute to developing a comprehensive understanding of a child’s strengths, challenges, and support needs.

We offer autism assessments for children and adolescents aged 4-17 years, using a range of tools, including the ADOS-2, MIGDAS-2, and other questionnaires (e.g. SRS-2, Vineland-3). 

With these assessments, we aim to help families better understand a child’s social and communication skills, emotional regulation, sensory experiences, adaptive skills, and support needs. Where appropriate, a cognitive assessment also contributes to developing a comprehensive understanding of a child’s strengths and differences, and support needs.