Psychological Assessments
Comprehensive assessments to better understand your child’s strengths, challenges and support needs.
The Little Sanctuary
Psychological Assessments
The Little Sanctuary in Hervey Bay & Windsor provides a range of child and adolescent psychological assessment services designed to support understanding, inform care planning and guide practical next steps for families.
We understand that arranging a psychological assessment for your child can feel like an important decision. Our aim is to make the process clear, supportive and straightforward, so families know what to expect at each stage.
For detailed information about each assessment, including inclusions and fees, please click the links below.
Our Assessments
NDIS Assessments
Autism Assessment
Cognitive Assessments
ADHD Assessments
Learning Assessment
Our Assessments
NDIS Assessments
Autism Assessment
Cognitive Assessments
ADHD Assessments
Learning Assessment
ADHD Assessment
Our comprehensive ADHD assessments evaluate whether your child’s presentation is consistent with ADHD and are designed to help you understand how attention, activity levels, impulse control, and executive functioning may be impacting your child’s daily life at home, school, and in relationships.
The assessment explores ADHD symptoms and associated features such as rejection sensitivity, emotional regulation difficulties, and executive functioning challenges. We also screen for common co-occurring presentations such as anxiety, learning difficulties, and behavioural concerns. The goal is to identify your child’s strengths and challenges while providing practical recommendations to support wellbeing and everyday functioning. Where appropriate, reports can be shared with your child’s GP, paediatrician, or psychiatrist.
What’s Included:
Session 1: Parent/Guardian Interview
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- Parents/caregivers only – children do not attend this session.
- We gather information about your child’s developmental history, learning needs, and current concerns.
Session 2: Attention & Impulsivity Assessment
- 1 hour – in clinic
- Focuses on attention, concentration, and impulse control.
- Standardised tools may include the Conners KCPT-2, CPT-3 or CATA (depending on age).
Session 3: Executive Functioning & Behaviour Observation
- 1 hour – in clinic
- A play-based observation session designed to assess executive functioning and behavioural presentation.
Session 4: Feedback Session
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- We explain the results clearly and provide practical recommendations for home and school.
Cost:
Cost – $2060
Your child’s assessment is a thorough process involving approximately 8 hours of clinical time, including interviews, direct assessment, scoring, analysis, report writing, and feedback.
Autism Assessment
Our autism assessments are comprehensive, neuroaffirming, and child-centred. They are designed to understand your child’s communication style, social interaction, sensory profile, interests, behaviour, and day-to-day functioning.
We also consider associated presentations that can overlap with autism, such as anxiety, ADHD traits, emotional regulation difficulties, and demand-avoidant behaviors. Our goal is to create a supportive assessment experience that helps you better understand your child’s strengths, needs, and the supports that may be most helpful.
What’s Included:
Session 1: Parent/Guardian Interview
- 1.5 hours – in clinic or telehealth
- Parents/caregivers only.
- Includes the MIGDAS-2 Parent/Caregiver Interview (Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing Autism Spectrum, Second Edition).
- Helps us understand your child’s developmental profile through your perspective.
Session 2: MIGDAS-2 Child Session
- 1 hour – in clinic
- A sensory-based interview with your child in the clinic, designed to understand your child’s unique communication and behavioural profile.
Session 3: ADOS-2 Assessment
- 1 hour – in clinic
- The ADOS-2 is considered a gold-standard tool used to assess behaviours associated with autism, including social communication, repetitive behaviours, and sensory differences. This assessment is conducted with your child in the clinic.
Session 4: Feedback Session
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- We will explain the findings clearly, answer your questions, and discuss practical recommendations and strategies for home, school and community life.
Cost:
Medicare rebates may be available for eligible children and young people under 25 under Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder assessment items. Rebate amounts and eligibility criteria are set by Medicare and may change over time. Please speak with your GP or Paediatrician.
Cost – $2720
Your child’s assessment is a thorough process involving approximately 10.5 hours of clinical time, including interviews, direct assessment, scoring, analysis, report writing, and feedback.
Combined ADHD and Autism Assessment
For families seeking clarity across multiple areas of development, we offer combined ADHD and autism assessments. This assessment is designed for children who may be showing traits associated with both ADHD and autism, or where it is unclear which profile best explains their strengths, challenges, and day-to-day experiences.
Our goal is to identify how your child thinks, learns, communicates, regulates emotions, and engages with the world around them. We also consider co-occurring presentations such as anxiety, learning difficulties, and behavioural concerns where relevant.
This integrated assessment process helps families, schools, and support teams move forward with confidence by providing practical recommendations tailored to your child’s unique profile, strengths, and support needs.
What’s Included:
Session 1: Parent/Guardian Interview
- 2 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- This appointment is for parents or caregivers – no children attend this session
- Includes the MIGDAS-2 Parent/Caregiver Interview (Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing Autism Spectrum, Second Edition).
- We take the time to understand your child’s developmental history, learning needs, and current concerns.
Session 2: MIGDAS-2 Child Session
- 1 hour – in clinic
- A sensory-based interview with your child in the clinic, designed to understand your child’s unique communication and behavioural profile.
Session 3: Attention and Behaviour Assessment
- 1 hour – in clinic
- Focuses on attention, concentration, and impulse control using standardised tools such as the Conners CPT-3 or CATA (depending on age).
- Includes play based tasks designed to assess executive functioning and behavioural presentation.
Session 4: ADOS-2
- 1 hour – in clinic
- The ADOS-2 is considered a gold-standard tool used to assess behaviours associated with autism, including social communication, repetitive behaviours, and sensory differences. This assessment is conducted with your child in the clinic.
Session 5: Feedback Session
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- We will explain the findings clearly, answer your questions, and discuss practical recommendations and strategies for home, school and community life.
Cost:
Medicare rebates may be available for eligible children and young people under 25 under Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder assessment items. Rebate amounts and eligibility criteria are set by Medicare and may change over time. Please speak with your GP or Paediatrician.
Cost – $3390
Your child’s assessment is a thorough process involving approximately 10.5 hours of clinical time, including interviews, direct assessment, scoring, analysis, report writing, and feedback.
Cognitive Assessment (4+ years)
A cognitive assessment helps parents, teachers, and professionals understand a child’s thinking and learning profile.
It may assist with:
- identifying intellectual disability
- understanding learning strengths and challenges
- school support planning
- educational recommendations
What’s Included:
Session 1: Initial
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- Parents/caregivers only – children do not attend this session.
- We gather information about your child’s developmental history, learning needs, and current concerns.
Session 2: Cognitive assessment
- 2 hours – in clinic
- Your child will complete interactive tasks that help us understand how they think and learn.
- For children 6+ with verbal fluency, this is assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V).
- For children aged 4-6 years or 6+ who are not English language proficient, e.g. children with speech delays, hearing impairment, language disorders, or whose first language is not English, this is assessed using the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability.
Cost:
Cost – $1800
Your child’s assessment is a thorough process involving approximately 7 hours of clinical time, including interviews, direct assessment, scoring, analysis, report writing, and feedback.
Learning Assessment (6+ years)
(Spelling, reading, writing, math – Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia / Giftedness)
This assessment is designed to help you understand why your child might be finding learning harder than expected. It can also identify advanced cognitive ability and giftedness, including situations where a child’s high potential may be masked by learning, behavioural, or emotional challenges.
The assessment provides a clearer understanding of your child’s learning profile, including strengths, areas of difficulty, and educational support needs, helping families and schools plan the most appropriate pathway forward.
What’s Included:
Session 1: Initial
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- This first appointment is just for parents or caregivers – no children attend this session.
- We take time to understand your child’s background, learning needs, and current challenges.
Session 2: Cognitive Assessment
- 2 hours – in clinic
- Your child will complete interactive tasks that help us understand how they think and learn, using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V)
Session 3: Academic Achievement Assessment
- 3 hours – in clinic
- In this session, your child will complete academic tasks to see how they are performing in key areas like reading, writing, spelling, and maths. We use a standardised test called the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Third Edition (WIAT-III), which gives us a clear picture of your child’s academic strengths and areas where they may need extra support.
Session 4: Feedback Session
- 1 hour – in clinic or telehealth
- Once the assessment is complete, we meet with you to go through the results, explain what they mean, and provide clear, practical recommendations to support your child at home and school.
Cost:
Cost – $3100
Your child’s assessment is a comprehensive, in-depth process that involves 12 hours of dedicated clinical time, including parent intake, direct assessment with your child, scoring, analysis, report writing, and a detailed feedback session.
NDIS Psychological Functional Capacity Assessments
We provide assessments and reports for current NDIS participants seeking:
- Plan reviews
- Functional capacity assessments
- Evidence for psychological support needs
- Funding recommendations
What these assessments may included:
- Standardised psychometric testing
- Diagnostic reasoning
- Behavioural risk assessment
- Functional impact analysis
Most assessments require approximately 8–12 hours including appointments and report preparation.
A tailored assessment plan and fee schedule is provided before commencement.
Important Information
While we offer diagnostic assessments, a formal diagnosis is not always made. Outcomes depend on the assessment findings, clinical presentation, and available evidence.
Assessment Consultations
If you are unsure which assessment best suits your child’s needs, we offer 30-minute Assessment Consultations with our Lead Psychologist.
This standalone appointment allows you to briefly discuss your concerns and receive professional guidance on the most appropriate assessment pathway.
A separate consultation fee applies.
Click Here to schedule an assessment consultation