Educational Assessments

An educational assessment consists of a combination of measures that assess a child’s intellectual functioning and academic performance. The most common measure used to assess academic achievement in children is the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) which measures a child’s academic performance across a wide range of areas (Reading, Mathematics, Writing and Oral Language) in comparison to same age and/or grade peers. Educational assessments are helpful in identifying Specific Learning Disorders in reading, writing and mathematics (dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia).

An educational assessment can assist in the overall understanding of a range of issues including:

• poor academic performance within certain areas at school
• behavioural difficulties in the classroom (such as aggression, or acting like the class “clown”)
• attention and concentration difficulties in the classroom
• appearing “bored” or disengaged in the classroom