What is a Cognitive Assessment and How Can it Help My Child at School?

A cognitive assessment is a type of evaluation that measures a person's thinking abilities and intellectual potential. It typically includes a battery of tests that assess different areas of cognitive functioning, such as attention, working memory, processing speed, language, and problem-solving. As part of the assessment your clinician will undertake a parent interview to gather information about the child’s developmental trajectory and identify any factors that may have influenced their development.

Cognitive assessments can be useful for identifying a child's strengths and weaknesses, as well as for identifying any learning difficulties or intellectual developmental delays. This information can help educators and parents better understand the child's learning style and needs, and can guide the development of individualised educational plans.

Cognitive assessments can also help identify giftedness or advanced abilities in specific areas, which can guide the development of advanced or accelerated educational opportunities for the child.

In addition, cognitive assessments can be used to monitor a child's progress over time, and can provide insight into the effectiveness of interventions or accommodations that are put in place to support the child's learning.

Overall, a cognitive assessment can provide valuable information that can help parents and educators better understand a child's learning profile and tailor educational strategies to best meet their needs.

Areas of cognitive functioning:
Verbal Comprehension: Measures the ability to understand and use language, including vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension.

Perceptual Reasoning: Measures the ability to solve visual problems and spatial reasoning, including the ability to recognise patterns and solve visual puzzles.

Working Memory: Measures the ability to hold and manipulate information in the mind, such as remembering a series of numbers or letters.

Processing Speed: Measures how quickly a person can process information and respond to it.

Fluid Reasoning: Measures the ability to reason and solve problems using abstract concepts and logic.

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