Assessments

Why conduct an assessment?

 If your child is experiencing difficulties at school the underlying reasons for these problems can vary from speech and language problems, motivational problems or specific learning difficulties like Dyslexia.

Children who are under achieving at school may not be reaching their full potential due to these underlying difficulties. This can lead to low motivation, self-esteem and academic failure.

Therefore it is essential that the cause of your child’s difficulties is identified. Quality assessment by a team of professionals aims to identify these children’s needs and support them to learn in a way that suits their needs.

Our Team of Specialists:

Our professional team consists of:

  • Speech and Language therapists
  • Educational Psychologists
  • Dyslexia and Literacy Specialists
  • Occupational Therapists.

These professionals work together to provide a thorough and comprehensive assessment to help identify the areas that need support.

The Assessment Process:

  1. Contact the Village through your school or directly to arrange a pre-assessment interview.
  2. Pre-assessment Interview
  3. Assessment.
  4. Post Assessment Interview.

The pre assessment consultation is to gather information about your child and the difficulties they are experiencing. From this we can decide the types of assessment provisionally required.

The post assessment consultation is an opportunity to discuss the findings with the professionals and look at intervention options and recommendations to improve learning.

 Why the Village?

  • We believe in active parent involvement.
  • We have a full-time specialist team.
  • We strive to create a supportive learning environment.
  • Comprehensive reports.
  • Comprehensive recommendations

Educational Psychologist.

Definition: Education Psychology

“the promotion of learning, attainment and the healthy emotional development of young people aged 0-19, through the application of psychology, by working with early years settings, schools (and other educational providers), children and their families, practitioners and other agencies.”

(Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009)

The Village Education Centre consults with a fully certified and licensed educational psychologist. Educational psychologists administer and interpret psychological and educational tests. These tests identify and support learning difficulties and resulting behavioral issues. The educational psychologist alongside administering tests also advises schools on modified curriculums, additional resources, assistant support and when required exam concessions.

Assessment FAQ

What do I need to bring to the assessment?

Any previous assessments.

School Reports.

How long will the assessment last?

The assessment duration will depend on the age and ability of the child.

Approximately 1-2 hours.

What happens during the assessment?

During the assessment the assessor will ask the child to carry out a range of interesting activities which most children find enjoyable. The activities will look at a wide range of factors that may be hindering the child’s   learning experience. A diagnostic assessment should identify learning issues; from this an appropriate programme of support can be implemented.

What’s next after the assessment?

After the assessment a meeting will be held with the parents and specialists to discuss further recommendations, curriculum modification, resources and intervention programmes to enhance learning.

Specialist Assessment

Full Diagnostic Assessments.

The Village also offers assessments carried out by an appropriately qualified specialist with post graduate training in dyslexia, with AMBDA accreditation and a Practicing Certificate. They are able to make assessments of verbal and non-verbal intelligence but use different tests from those only available to Psychologists.

Full assessments would take around 2-3 hours and would be followed by a detailed written report with broad recommendations for support and accommodations. It would not often be possible to arrange for an assessment and receive the report in a short space of time.

Education and University.

Students aiming to attend university should ensure that they have an assessment report post 16 years from either an Educational Psychologist or a specialist dyslexia specialist with a Practice Certificate for assessing students in H.E. The report should include recommendations for accommodations in tests and exams.

Speech and Language Therapy

 Speech and language therapy covers the management (assessment and therapy) of disorders of speech, language, communication and swallowing in children and adults. Speech and language therapists (SLT) see a variety of clients from babies to adults and work in a variety of areas. SLTs work closely with teachers, and other health professionals including doctors and psychologists.

At the Village we see children and young adults.  We work with:

  • mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties
  • physical disabilities
  • language delay
  • specific language impairment
  • specific difficulties in producing sounds
  • hearing impairment
  • cleft palate
  • stammering
  • autism/social interaction difficulties
  • dyslexia
  • voice disorders
  • selective mutism
  • Across the UK about one in ten children have a communication disorder.  If this is left without access to speech and language therapy, speech, language and communication difficulties have a huge impact on the educational achievement and health of a child.
  • Speech, language and communication difficulties are the most common disabilities to occur in early childhood.

Useful websites:

http://www.ican.org.uk/frontpage.aspx

http://www.rcslt.org/

http://www.autism.org.uk/

Pre-school and Primary Screening

Assessments:

· Speech and language observation.

· Speech and language assessment.

· Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST)

· Behavioral Observations.

Pre-School Support Classes:

Classes are conducted on a 1:1 basis or small group to ensure full attention is given to each child.

· Speech and language sessions with qualified therapists.

· Literacy sessions with specialist teachers of literacy.

  • specific language impairment
  • specific difficulties in producing sounds
  • hearing impairment
  • cleft palate
  • stammering
  • autism/social interaction difficulties
  • dyslexia
  • voice disorders
  • selective mutism
  • Across the UK about one in ten children have a communication disorder.  If this is left without access to speech and language therapy, speech, language and communication difficulties have a huge impact on the educational achievement and health of a child.
  • Speech, language and communication difficulties are the most common disabilities to occur in early childhood.

Useful websites:

http://www.ican.org.uk/frontpage.aspx
http://www.rcslt.org/
http://www.autism.org.uk/

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