Written by: S C Anbarasu, Senior Clinical Psychologist
Psychological evaluation is often helpful in understanding the strengths and challenges an individual may have in their cognitive, behavioural, learning and socio-emotional functioning.
At Promises Healthcare, we believe that “one size fits all” is not an approach that is applicable to the treatment of psychological disorders and challenges. We provide tailored recommendations for parents, teachers, and therapists so that interventions and accommodations allow each child to reach their potential.
IQ and academic testings can provide important information about a child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, academic needs, and preferred learning style. These can assist parents and children in making educational choices and implementing strategies to ensure that the child’s learning is appropriately supported.
Specific reasons for testing include:
- Learning difficulties or delays (e.g. difficulties with spelling, writing, maths and/or reading)
- Giftedness
- Underachievement
- Emotional and/or behavioural problems presenting in the classroom and/or at home
- Admission to special educational programs
- Increasing understanding of a child’s learning style
- Concerns regarding possible attentional difficulties
What is IQ testing?
Intelligence testing is a method used by psychologists to measure a child’s intellectual capabilities. Intellectual assessment is a good indicator of a child’s potential. We use the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fifth edition (WISC- V). This is an individually administered instrument for assessing the cognitive ability of children aged 6 years to 16 years.
The WISC V is one of the most reliable and valid IQ testing instruments available and is the most widely used measure of IQ. The WISC V provided scores that represent intellectual functioning in four specified cognitive domains: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed and Working memory. During the testing session, a child is asked to solve problems and puzzles and to answer a range of questions. Generally, most children enjoy the testing session as it is an engaging process involving novel and fun tasks. Should parents have worries about their child’s emotional wellbeing during the assessment, raise it with us and, we can explore a workable collaborative plan to support you and your child during the testing process.
What is Academic Testing?
Academic Testing provided an overview of a child’s current performance across a range of academic domains. We use the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) with subtests including:
- Oral Expression
- Listening Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Spelling
- Pseudoword Decoding
- Word Reading
- Reading Comprehension
- Numerical Operations
- Maths Reasoning
The assessment provides a rich source of information about a child’s achievement skills. Information obtained can then be utilized for intervention decisions.
The Assessment Process
The assessment is conducted in several stages:
- An initial assessment with parent(s) is an integral part of our assessment procedure.
- A time is set to administer the WISC 5 and the WIAT-III and other relevant tests. Usually, you may have to set aside about two or more sessions for approximately 6 to 12 hrs (excluding initial consult session) for testing, depending on the capacity and the needs of the child/person. Spacing out testing over several days can help some children overcome fatigue and stress.
- A comprehensive written report will be prepared after all the testings are completed, based on the outcome of the assessment and testing process. The report will highlight relative areas of strengths and difficulties, with recommendations for home and school settings.
- A feedback session will be provided to parents after the completion of the report. During this session, parents can be given an opportunity to clarify and discuss any concerns regarding the report.
Fees for assessments
- The Psychologist conducting the tests will inform parents of the charges involved during the initial consultation session, based on the needs of the child/person and the different tests required.
Payment Plans
- Payment plans are available for our testing procedures. Clients may choose to pay the full amount for testing at the end of the initial consultation or they may elect to pay in two payments. Like most of the private practices, reports will not be released prior to receipt of full payment.
Referrals/ For Information
Please do not hesitate to speak to our friendly reception staff at (+65) 6397 7309 if you wish to make an initial appointment. Alternatively, should you wish to clarify matters with me personally, you can leave your name and contact details with the reception at clinic@promises.com.sg