Assessments at MYnd

We take a collaborative neuro-affirming approach to all our assessments. Please learn more about our approach here.

This is an overview of a standard assessment to explore autism for a young person. Some or all of these may apply to your child's assessment. Your psychologist will discuss the elements needed with you at your initial consultation. 

 1. Initial Consultation: The initial meeting with parents or caregivers gathers information about your child's development, their strengths and interests and indicators of neurodevelopmental differences in their social communication style, relationship preferences or way of experiencing the world. 

 2. School Observation: Where your psychologist feels it is indicated they may observe the child in their educational setting. This is typically only for young children. 

3. Autism-specific Assessment Tools: Psychologists use standardised tools to assess autism-related behaviours and characteristics. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS),  The Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS)  and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) are typically used. In Mynd Psychology the ADOS is typically administered and co-rated by a speech and language therapist and observed by a clinical psychologist. 

4. Cognitive Assessment: This assessment evaluates the young person's cognitive abilities, strengths, and areas of difference, providing a comprehensive profile of their intellectual functioning.

5. Emotional Behavioural Screening: Your psychologist will conduct a screening assessment for emotional or behavioural concerns such as low mood or anxiety using psychometric tools which will be completed by parents and teachers.

6. Adaptive Behaviour Assessment: This assessments focus on the individual's adaptive functioning, assessing their ability to perform everyday tasks independently.

7. Teacher Progress Report: The psychologist will consult with your child's preschool or school teacher to learn more about their interests and strengths and support needs at school. 

8. Feedback Meeting: Once all the information is gathered, the psychologist will meet with you to discuss the assessment results and outline the next steps. This is a collaborative session where the psychologist will provide an overview of the assessment results, and together with you come to an understanding of the young person's neurotype. 

Where attainment testing to explore if a learning difference such as dyslexia is indicated,  an additional session will be required with an additional fee of €250 

This is an overview of a standard assessment to explore ADHD for a young person. Some or all of these may apply to your child's assessment. Your psychologist will discuss the elements needed with you at your initial consultation. 

1. Initial Consultation: The initial meeting with parents or caregivers gathers information about your child's development, their strengths and interests and indicators of neurodevelopmental differences related to ADHD. 

2. School Observation: Where your psychologist feels it is indicated they may observe the child in their educational setting. This is typically only for young children. 

3. Cognitive Assessment: This assessment evaluates the young person's cognitive abilities, strengths, and areas of difference, providing a comprehensive profile of their intellectual functioning.

4. Emotional Behavioural Screening: Your psychologist will conduct a screening assessment for emotional or behavioural concerns such as low mood or anxiety using psychometric tools which will be completed by parents and teachers.

5. Adaptive Behaviour Assessment: This assessments focus on the individual's adaptive functioning, assessing their ability to perform everyday tasks independently.

6. Teacher Progress Report: The psychologist will consult with your child's preschool or school teacher to learn more about their interests, strengths and support needs at school. 

7. Conners rating forms: This parent and teacher rating form gathers information about the young person's observable behaviour and how this relates to the clinical criteria for ADHD. 

8. BRIEF rating forms: This parent and teacher rating form provides information about your child's observed executive functioning skills, an important element of exploring ADHD.

9. Test of Everyday Attention: An in clinic assessment of the young person's attention profile. 

10. Feedback Meeting: Once all the information is gathered, the psychologist will meet with you to discuss the assessment results and outline the next steps. This is a collaborative session where the psychologist will provide an overview of the assessment results, and together with you come to an understanding of the young person's neurotype. 

Where attainment testing to explore if a learning difference such as dyslexia is indicated,  an additional session will be required with an additional fee of €250 

This is an overview of a standard assessment to explore learning differences for a young person including specific learning differences such as dyslexia. Some or all of these may apply to your child's assessment. Your psychologist will discuss the elements needed with you at your initial consultation.

1. Initial Consultation: The initial meeting with parents or caregivers gathers information about your child's development, their strengths and interests and indicators of learning differences. 

2. Cognitive Assessment: This assessment evaluates the young person's cognitive abilities, strengths, and areas of difference, providing a comprehensive profile of their intellectual functioning (when needed)

3. Attainment Tests: Standardised achievement tests (sometimes referred to as attainment tests) measure a young person's knowledge and can be used to assess, for example, skills in literacy and numeracy, and to determine progress in these areas or to assist in the identification of a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.

4. Teacher Progress Report The psychologist will consult with your child's school teacher to learn more about their interests, strengths and learning progress at school. 

5. Feedback Meeting: Once all the information is gathered, the psychologist will meet with you to discuss the assessment results and outline the next steps. This is a collaborative session where the psychologist will provide an overview of the assessment results, and together with you come to an understanding of the young person's learning needs. 

We provide neuroaffirmative assessments for ADHD and Autism. Through a collaborative approach our psychologists will invite you to share your understanding of your own experiences of development, your social needs and preferences, your communication style and help you to explore how you experience the world around you. We firmly believe neurodivergent identification is best explored and established within a collaborative framework. Through a positive and strengths based approach, we take full account of your individual support needs and understand the complexities and contradictions of a neurodivergent brain style. 

Our Adult assessment process has a number of stages.  The first stage takes the form of in-depth conversation session(s) with your psychologist. We also request the completion of self-report questionnaires to give us a holistic understanding of your life thus far and to follow a differential diagnostic protocol. If assessment is required to understand an ADHD profile, we include an assessment of working memory and cognitive processing. You are also invited to bring a significant other to sessions to help in application of detail and providing a background history. 

1. Intake interview: The opening conversation to discuss your experience, informed by your

submitted information. Prior to this session, you and your psychologist will

communicate via email, to ensure focus points are established

2. Second Session : Another in-depth conversation with your psychologist, again informed by

your submitted information and naturally picking up from your first session.

As before, you and your psychologist will work together, ensuring you are

fully prepared for this follow up. There is the option of inviting a significant

other to attend this interview.

3. Third Session: An opportunity to review your journey thus far and to formally arrive at identification (or not). Further cognitive assessment may be recommended. 

4. Follow-up Support Session: This provides a valuable, reflective space to consider your Autistic identity, contemplate the future or avail of practical guidance and support

5. Supporting Documentation: For clients identified with an diagnosis your psychologist will provide you with a report affirming your neurodivergent identity. Our documentation is fully recognised by the HSE and other statutory support services. Furthermore, an Equitable Requirements report will also be provided, as required. 

Where cognitive assessment to explore cognitive functioning is required, an additional session will be required with an additional fee of €400