Psychological assessment at the Hazelton Clinic
The Hazelton Clinic is a private clinic. We are not attached to any government/educational body (the HSE or NEPS, for example). Our team of clinical psychologists are professionally insured and members of the professional body, the Psychological Society of Ireland (P.S.I.).
The team’s broad range of clinical knowledge and experience includes:
- comprehensive educational and psychological assessment of school-going children;
- as required, preparation of psychologist’s report – including recommendations for individual programme plans and extra educational resources and support; and
- liaison with family, school, and other professionals, as part of psychological evaluation.
Among the problems school-going children and teenagers most commonly present with when attending the Hazelton Clinic for psychological assessment are
- poor school progress; and/or
- behaviour management problems at school and/or home, which may or may not be associated with poor school progress.
A child’s failure to make progress at school can be attributed to a number of causes. Comprehensive psychological assessment, by taking a holistic view of the child, examines the child’s development on a number of levels:
Standardised testing establishes the child’s current level of intellectual ability and achievement. In order for a specific learning difficulty to be identified, the possibility of intellectual impairment (i.e. general learning difficulties, following, for example, traumatic brain injury) needs to be ruled out.
There are a number of specific learning disorders, so called because the child’s academic achievements are lower than expected for his/her level of intellectual ability, the principal types of which are:
- Reading disorders (Developmental Reading Disorder (D.R.D.) or Dylexia) – this is the most common, present in 10% of school-children
- Disorders of fine motor skills (Dyspraxia) – hand-writing , motor coordination and speech (verbal dypraxia) may be affected.
- Mathematics disorders (Dyscalculia) – usually co-exists with another learning disorder, dyslexia, for example.
- Written expression disorders (Dysgraphia) – usually found where there are already existing reading and numeracy difficulties. Students with this type of language disorder have problems with spelling, punctuation, grammar and organising their thoughts in writing.
Some children present with specific speech and language difficulties. These can include deficits in essential skills in speech and language development, information processing or reading skills, for example. Again, the child’s achievements in these areas are far lower than expected for his/her intellectual ability. Receptive language skills (understanding language) and/or expressive language skills (using language) are also poor.
The holistic approach to child assessment also includes interviews with the child, parents and teachers; assessment of the child’s psychological, social and emotional adjustment;
behavioural observation in the classroom; and information from available medical/other reports.
Sometimes, screening for other childhood developmental disorders might be required:
AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
A neuro-biological condition not caused by intellectual impairment or specific learning difficulty
AD/HD is one of the most common developmental problems affecting 3% – 5% of the school population. There are three main sub-types of AH/HD:
- AD/HD ‘predominantly inattentive type’ is characterised by distractibility and difficulty sustaining mental effort and attention.
- AD/HD ‘predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type is characterised by fidgeting with hands and feet, squirming in one’s chair, acting as if driven by a motor, interrupting and intruding upon others.
- AD/HD ‘combined type’ meets both sets of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive criteria
Pervasive developmental disorders:
These are a rare class of neurological disorders characterised by impairments in social interaction, imaginative activity, and in verbal and non-verbal communication skills. The child may have a limited number of interests and activities and tends to be quite repetitive. P.D.Ds include:
- Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Asperger’s Syndrome
- Pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified (PDDNOS).
As a teacher or parents you may have concerns about a particular child and believe psychological assessment would be helpful.
Because we at the Hazelton clinic recognises the importance of early intervention, we aim to provide you with an initial clinical consultation for your child within 7 working days. We also aim to ensure the experience for your child will be a positive and friendly one.
Your confidentiality is at all times respected and no other professional/agency will be contacted without your consent. The Clinic is equally respectful of child protection guidelines for professional practise.
For further information, please contact us at 021 4936006