Reports are usually provided within a few weeks of the final appointment, and you receive the main findings verbally at your feedback session alongside the written report. The report includes test results, an explanation of what they mean and specific recommendations for home and school. Let your psychologist know if you have a deadline, such as a school planning meeting or a funding application.

Keep it simple and honest. Tell your child they are coming to meet someone who helps children with thinking, learning and feelings, and that they will do puzzles, games and questions. Avoid calling it a test or suggesting there are right and wrong answers. Book a time of day when your child is usually alert, and bring a snack, water and any glasses or hearing aids.

Teacher input is very useful, because it shows how your child copes with group demands, instructions and peers. With your written consent, your psychologist can send rating scales to teachers or speak with them directly. If you would prefer not to involve the school, the assessment can still go ahead using your reports, direct testing and observation.

That happens, and it is manageable. Your psychologist can shorten sessions, split testing across extra appointments, change the order of tasks or build in breaks and movement. Refusal, anxiety and avoidance are also useful clinical information, not a failed appointment. If your child is unwell or exhausted on the day, call ahead and reschedule rather than pushing through.

Often, yes. Standardised cognitive testing measures reasoning, memory, processing speed and verbal skills, and gives a profile of strengths and weaknesses rather than a single number. It helps separate a general learning difficulty from a specific one, such as dyslexia. Whether cognitive testing is included depends on your child’s age and the questions you want answered, so discuss it at your first appointment.

Some children do. Results reflect where a child is at that point, so a preschool assessment may need updating once literacy and numeracy demands increase, or before high school. Schools, universities and funding bodies also set their own currency rules, and some ask for a report completed within the past two to three years. Your report will note when a review is worth considering.