Cognitive Assessment
A detailed picture of how your child thinks, learns, and processes information — helping families, schools, and support teams understand what your child truly needs.
Understanding how your child thinks & learns
A cognitive assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of how a child's brain processes and uses information. It looks at intellectual ability across a range of areas — including reasoning, memory, processing speed, and verbal and visual thinking — to build a detailed profile of your child's cognitive strengths and any areas where they may benefit from additional support.
No two cognitive profiles are the same. Some children have high overall ability but significant variability across different areas. Others may have a very consistent profile, or specific strengths that aren't always visible in a classroom setting. A cognitive assessment makes these patterns visible — and that understanding can be genuinely transformative for families, schools, and the young people themselves.
Our cognitive assessments are conducted by psychologists in a warm, unhurried environment. There are no pass or fail results — the goal is simply to understand how your child's mind works.
Results are shared in a clear, jargon-free report and discussed with your family in a dedicated feedback session, so you leave with a genuine understanding of the findings and confidence about next steps.
"A cognitive profile doesn't define what a child can achieve — it illuminates the path that works best for them."
No referral needed
Families can enquire about a cognitive assessment directly — no referral from a GP or specialist is required. Cognitive assessments are available on a self-funded or private health insurance basis.
Enquire About an Assessment →What does a cognitive assessment measure?
A cognitive assessment typically examines several key areas of cognitive functioning. Together, these build a rich and nuanced picture of how your child thinks and learns.
Verbal Reasoning
How well a child uses and understands language to reason, solve problems, and communicate ideas — including vocabulary, verbal concept formation, and verbal expression.
Visual-Spatial Reasoning
The ability to think in pictures and understand spatial relationships — including pattern recognition, visual problem solving, and the ability to interpret and construct visual information.
Working Memory
The capacity to hold and manipulate information in the mind over short periods — important for following multi-step instructions, mental arithmetic, and learning new material.
Processing Speed
How quickly and accurately a child can process simple visual information — often affecting how efficiently they complete tasks, take notes, or keep up in a busy classroom environment.
Fluid Reasoning
The ability to think flexibly, identify patterns, and solve novel problems — a core component of intellectual ability that reflects how well a child can apply logic to unfamiliar situations.
Overall Intellectual Ability
A composite picture of cognitive functioning across all assessed areas, often expressed as a Full Scale IQ or General Ability Index — providing a meaningful summary alongside the individual subtest profile.
Please note: The specific areas assessed may vary depending on your child's age, the referral question, and which standardised assessment tool is most appropriate. Your psychologist will discuss this with you at the time of enquiry.
Reasons a family might seek a cognitive assessment
Families come to us for cognitive assessments for many different reasons. Here are some of the most common.
Learning difficulties
Understanding why a child is struggling at school — whether with reading, writing, maths, or general learning — and identifying the specific cognitive factors that may be contributing.
Giftedness
Identifying high intellectual ability to support access to selective schools, extension programs, or gifted education pathways — and to help families understand and nurture their child's potential.
Unexpected underachievement
When a child appears bright but is not performing at the level expected — a cognitive assessment can identify whether there is a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement, and why.
School planning & support
Providing schools with objective information to support learning adjustments, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), or applications for exam accommodations such as extra time.
Twice-exceptional children
Understanding children who are both intellectually gifted and have a learning difference, developmental condition, or disability — whose needs can be complex and easily missed without a thorough cognitive profile.
Informing other assessments
A cognitive assessment can provide important context for other assessments — including ADHD or autism assessments — by helping to understand the role of cognitive factors in a child's overall profile.
What does a cognitive assessment involve?
Our cognitive assessments are thorough and conducted at a pace that suits your child. Here's how the process typically unfolds.
Initial enquiry
Get in touch to discuss what you're hoping to understand from the assessment. We'll talk through the referral question, confirm the assessment is the right fit, and match you with the right psychologist.
Background information
We'll gather relevant background about your child — including developmental history, school experiences, and any previous assessments or reports — to ensure the assessment is well-informed and appropriately targeted.
Direct assessment with your child
One-on-one sessions with your child using standardised cognitive assessment tools. The tasks are presented as engaging activities rather than tests, and are carefully paced to suit your child's age and stamina.
Scoring & report writing
Your psychologist analyses all the results and writes a comprehensive report covering your child's cognitive profile, strengths, areas of difference, and tailored recommendations for school, home, and any further support.
Feedback session
A dedicated session to walk through the findings with you, answer your questions, and ensure you leave with a clear understanding of your child's profile and confidence about next steps.
What happens after the assessment?
Your written report can be shared with your child's school to support learning adjustments, used to access extension or gifted programs, or used to inform ongoing therapy. Our team is happy to liaise with schools and other professionals on your behalf. If the assessment raises questions about ADHD, autism, or other areas, we can discuss whether a further assessment might be helpful.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some of the questions families most commonly ask us about cognitive assessments.
How long does a cognitive assessment take?
The direct assessment with your child typically takes between 2 and 4 hours in total, which may be split across one or two sessions depending on your child's age and stamina. Additional time is needed for the background interview, report writing, and feedback session. We'll give you a full timeline when you enquire.
What age can children be assessed?
We assess children, adolescents, and young adults. The specific tools used will depend on your child's age — different standardised assessments are designed for different age ranges. Please get in touch and we'll confirm what's most appropriate for your child.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is required. Families can enquire directly. Some private health funds may require a referral to process a rebate claim — we recommend checking with your fund before booking.
Is a cognitive assessment the same as an IQ test?
A cognitive assessment includes measures of intellectual ability, which are sometimes summarised as an IQ score. However, a good cognitive assessment is much more than a single number — it produces a detailed profile across multiple areas of thinking, which is far more useful for understanding and supporting your child than one composite score alone.
Will the assessment diagnose a learning disability?
A cognitive assessment is an important component of identifying learning disabilities such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, but a diagnosis typically also requires academic achievement testing alongside the cognitive profile. Your psychologist will advise whether additional measures are needed based on your child's referral question, and will be clear about what the assessment findings do and don't indicate.
Can the report be used for school applications or exam accommodations?
Yes. Cognitive assessment reports are commonly used to support applications to selective or gifted programs, and to apply for reasonable adjustments at school — including extra time in exams. Schools and exam bodies typically have their own requirements for what a report needs to include, so it's worth checking with the relevant school or body before booking so we can ensure the report meets their criteria.
How to fund a cognitive assessment
Cognitive assessments are available on a self-funded or private health insurance basis. Please get in touch for a full fee outline.
Private Health Insurance
Some private health funds offer rebates for psychological assessments under extras cover. Coverage varies depending on your fund and policy level. We recommend checking with your fund before booking, as some funds may also require a referral to process a claim.
Self-Funded (Private Pay)
No referral required. Cognitive assessments are available on a self-funded basis. Please contact us for our current assessment fees — our team will provide a full fee outline when you enquire.
Also looking for a different assessment?
We offer a range of assessments at Therapy for Kids Perth. Explore our other options below.
ADHD Assessment
A thorough, neuroaffirming ADHD assessment for children, adolescents, and young adults.
Autism Assessment
A comprehensive, neuroaffirming autism assessment conducted by our psychology and speech pathology team.
Functional Capacity Assessment
Commonly used for NDIS planning purposes, completed by our occupational therapists.
GPs, Paediatricians & Schools
We welcome referrals for cognitive assessments from GPs, paediatricians, schools, and other health and education professionals. Our psychologists provide comprehensive written reports and are happy to liaise with referrers and schools with the family's consent.
Families can also self-refer — no referral is required for private bookings. If a school or exam body has specific requirements for the report format or content, please include these details in your referral so we can ensure the report meets their criteria.
What to include in your referral:
- Child's name, date of birth, and contact details
- Referral question — what you are hoping the assessment will clarify
- Relevant background — developmental history, school performance, previous assessments
- Any specific report requirements from a school or exam body, if applicable
- Your provider number, practice address, and referral date
Get in touch
Phone
08 6384 7041Administration hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm