In Educational Psychology work, there is a lot of ‘jargon’. I hope these “EP FAQs” are helpful for all those working with Educational Psychologists (EPs).

What is a ‘psychological assessment’? Every child, teen or young person (referred to as the ‘individual’) and their particular circumstances are unique and complex.

The psychological assessment – or ‘assessment’ for short – is to find out about the issue or concern and what might be done to help the (child, teen or young person) make progress with their learning.

The process follows after there has been parental consent or permission for EP involvement and then an ‘initial consultation’ with the parents or carers. School staff can be involved by the family to attend if they wish.

The assessment itself is a process that results in recommendations made – this is the ‘psychological advice’ that is sought.

What does the ‘EP Assessment’ include? For the purposes of pricing the work, there are costs in terms of time and resources, including expertise. Here are some of the aspects included:

• Any prior consultation work, as long as this has happened within two weeks of the assessment, and no Record of Consultation was provided (charged separately).
• Costs of travelling and travel time (less than an hour from my home).
• Time to read any additional documents that you provide that can support an understanding of the individual’s needs.
• Time for the school visit and any work done during this time. This can include consultation with school staff, observation of your child, teen or young person and any individual work with them. For more information about school visits, see here.
• The cost of any assessment resources used.
• The cost of any space needed, although the school usually provides this for free.
• An optional follow up consultation with school staff or family – this is to give some feedback – and happens within two days of the assessment.
• Time to reflect upon and analysis the information gathered, formulate hypotheses about it and make recommendations, the ‘advice’.
• A report, outlining the assessment, what was done and psychological analysis of the information gathered. It also includes any recommendations made. This can be expected within 2 weeks of the visit (or the last time that information was collected).

The EP Report is a document that covers what information was gathered together and how – and recommendations made. The information gathered is described in terms of the individual’s ‘strengths’ and ‘needs’ – and the four areas of Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) as outlined by the SEND Code of Practice 2015, are also used as a framework. These four areas are as follows:

• Communication and interaction: This includes skills to understand and use language and follow social rules and expectations.
• Cognition (thinking) and learning: This includes aspects of attention and concentration, approach to learning, motivation, reading, writing, mathematics, science etc.
• Social, emotional and mental health: This covers emotional wellbeing, emotional regulation and skills in following class rules and routines and getting on with others in their class. It can also include consideration of the impact of family dynamics and past trauma on the CYP’s wellbeing.
• Physical and sensory needs: This covers overall physical health, any medical needs, sensory needs, independence and self-care skills, sleep, diet.

How does an EP figure out what needs to be done? You might be wondering what goes into the process of creating psychological advice and developing the recommendations and for a brief glimpse into this complex process, see this article here.