Question 1

How do I know which assessment to book?

Accepted Answer

You do not need to decide this alone.Tell us what you would like to understand, together with the individual's age and any relevant background information. We can then advise whether an assessment appears appropriate and which option is most likely to answer your questions.

Question 2

Why do you ask for background information before the assessment?

Accepted Answer

Assessment scores are most useful when they are understood within the context of the individual.Information about development, education, strengths, interests, current areas of challenge, previous assessments and relevant experiences helps us prepare appropriately and interpret the assessment findings more accurately.It can also help us identify questions that need particular attention during the assessment and understand whether the results are consistent with what is seen in everyday life.

Question 3

Do you assess 3 and 4 year olds?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We assess young children, including 3- and 4-year-olds, where assessment is appropriate for the questions you would like to explore.Young children require a different approach from older children and adults. We take account of age, development, attention, communication, confidence, familiarity with structured tasks and the child's willingness to engage.We aim to create a calm, developmentally appropriate assessment environment while maintaining the standardised procedures needed for valid results. We also consider information from parents and, where appropriate, nursery or school, because a single assessment session cannot capture everything a young child knows, understands or can do.If a child becomes tired, distressed or unwilling to continue, their wellbeing takes priority. The assessor may pause, adapt or discontinue activities where necessary, while remaining within the requirements of the assessment tools being used.

Question 4

Can adjustments be made for my child's needs?

Accepted Answer

Where appropriate, yes.Before the appointment, we ask you to tell us about any communication, sensory, physical, attention, emotional or other needs that may affect the assessment.We will consider what reasonable adjustments can be made while maintaining the standardised conditions needed for valid interpretation of the results. Some adjustments may change how particular scores can be interpreted, and we will explain this where relevant.

Question 5

Do you only assess very able children?

Accepted Answer

No. We assess children, young people and adults across the range of ability.Although we have particular expertise in high learning potential and complex or uneven profiles, an assessment does not begin with an assumption about someone's level of ability. People come to us for many reasons, including understanding cognitive strengths and difficulties, exploring unexpected patterns in learning or attainment, and identifying barriers to learning or work.Our aim is to understand the individual's profile and use that information to identify appropriate support and practical next steps.

Question 6

Can someone have high cognitive ability and still experience difficulties with learning?

Accepted Answer

Yes.High cognitive ability does not prevent someone from experiencing a specific learning difficulty or other barriers to learning.In some cases, strengths can compensate for difficulties and make them less visible. In others, the difficulty may prevent the person's underlying ability from being fully demonstrated.Looking at the pattern across the whole profile can therefore be particularly important.

Question 7

Can you assess a child who is working well above their age or school year?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Assessing children who are academically or cognitively advanced is an important part of our work.Standardised cognitive assessments compare a child's performance with other children of the same age and can therefore show when particular abilities are substantially advanced.When assessing attainment, we also consider whether age- or year-level tasks are sufficiently challenging to show what the child can actually do. Where appropriate and psychometrically valid, assessment may explore performance beyond typical age or curriculum expectations.There are limits to what any standardised assessment can measure, particularly when a child performs close to the upper limits of a test. Where this occurs, we will explain what the results can and cannot tell us rather than treating the highest available score as the limit of the child's ability.

Question 8

Will the assessment tell me whether my child is gifted?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The assessment will show how your child's cognitive abilities compare with those of other children of the same age and can identify areas in which their performance is substantially or exceptionally advanced.Where appropriate, we will describe the level of ability indicated by the results, for example within ranges commonly described as highly or exceptionally gifted.Giftedness is not always uniform across a child's profile. A child may show exceptionally high ability in one area while performing at a different level in others. We therefore describe both the overall profile and individual areas of strength, rather than relying on a single score or label.

Question 9

Is an assessment useful if my child is home educated?

Accepted Answer

Yes.Assessment does not depend on a child attending school. It can provide useful information about cognitive strengths, learning and attainment regardless of the type of education a child receives.For home-educated children, we take account of their individual educational experiences rather than assuming that they have followed a particular school curriculum or sequence of teaching.The findings can help families understand areas of strength, identify possible barriers to learning and make informed decisions about appropriate challenge, support and future learning opportunities.

Question 10

What if what we see at home is very different from what school sees?

Accepted Answer

This is not unusual, and the difference itself can provide useful information.Children may respond differently depending on the level of challenge, structure, relationships, sensory environment, expectations and opportunities available in different settings. We consider information from different sources rather than assuming that one account is necessarily more accurate than another. Where appropriate, differences between home, school and assessment findings will be explored in the report.

Question 11

What can the assessment tell me, and what are its limits?

Accepted Answer

The assessment can provide detailed information about cognitive abilities, learning and attainment, patterns of strength and relative difficulty, and relevant barriers to learning.It also provides practical recommendations based on the individual's profile, including advice about appropriate challenge, learning strategies, support at home or in education, and areas that may benefit from further development or investigation.Our cognitive and learning assessments do not provide a medical, psychiatric or neurodevelopmental diagnosis. If the findings suggest that further specialist assessment or support may be useful, we will explain this and discuss possible next steps.

Question 12

Can you diagnose autism, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental conditions?

Accepted Answer

Not through our standard cognitive or learning profile assessments.These assessments can help identify strengths, areas of difficulty and patterns that may be relevant to understanding a person's learning and functioning, but they do not by themselves provide a diagnosis of autism, ADHD or another neurodevelopmental condition.If the assessment findings suggest that further specialist investigation may be useful, we will explain this and discuss appropriate next steps.A diagnostic assessment would only be provided where it is explicitly described as part of the service booked and is within the professional competence and scope of the practitioner providing it.

Question 13

Can the assessment results be used for Mensa membership?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both of our assessment options include a professionally administered cognitive assessment that provides IQ scores which can be submitted to British Mensa as prior evidence.Mensa membership requires a qualifying score within the top 2% of the population. This may be demonstrated through verbal ability, non-verbal ability or overall/general intellectual ability, depending on the assessment and the scores obtained.If a qualifying score is achieved, we can provide the assessment results needed to support an application to Mensa. Final decisions about eligibility are made by British Mensa.

Understanding strengths. Making sense of the whole person.

When might a gifted assessment be helpful?

Sometimes the question is simply: What is going on, and what would help?

Cognitive and Learning Profile

This may be helpful when:

You want to understand both strengths and areas of development

Ability and attainment appear inconsistent

A highly able learner is experiencing unexpected difficulty

There are concerns about literacy or numeracy

A child appears insufficiently challenged

Strengths and barriers to learning coexist

typically from 4 years of age

Cognitive Profile

This may be helpful if you want to understand:

Overall and specific patterns of ability

High learning potential

An uneven cognitive profile

Areas that may warrant further exploration

from 3 years of age to adult

Looking at the whole person

Strength and difficulty are not opposites.

Our aim is not simply to produce scores. It is to develop a useful understanding of the person behind them.

The Assessment Process

Understand the question

Assessment

Analysis and report

Feedback and next steps

Frequently asked questions

How do I know which assessment to book?

Why do you ask for background information before the assessment?

Do you assess 3 and 4 year olds?

Can adjustments be made for my child's needs?

Do you only assess very able children?

Can someone have high cognitive ability and still experience difficulties with learning?

Can you assess a child who is working well above their age or school year?

Will the assessment tell me whether my child is gifted?

Is an assessment useful if my child is home educated?

What if what we see at home is very different from what school sees?

What can the assessment tell me, and what are its limits?

Can you diagnose autism, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental conditions?

Can the assessment results be used for Mensa membership?

Assessment Options and Fees

Cognitive Profile Assessment

Cognitive & Learning Profile Assessment

Additional support after assessment

​Parent Support Guide

School Support Guide

Additional Parent Consultation

Acceleration Evaluation & Report

Emotional Regulation and Support Profile & Guidance

Sensory Differences Profile & Guidance

School and Professional Consultation

Not sure which assessment is right for you?

Understanding strengths.
Making sense of the whole person.

Our aim is not simply to produce scores.
It is to develop a useful understanding of the person behind them.

Parent Support Guide