FAQs

How long does an assessment take?

The assessment process varies depending on how many areas are involved. Sometimes assessments can be completed in one day (with several rest breaks). However, at other times children may experience fatigue and require the assessment to be broken into several assessment sessions to ensure they perform at the optimum level.

How much does an assessment cost?
The fee for an assessment of any type, includes an interview with you (and, if appropriate, and with your permission, with family members, friends, teachers, other professionals involved), a thorough review of your records, face-to-face testing, scoring of tests, interpretation of findings, preparation of the written report, and discussion of test results with the referral source and/or with you. In most cases, this requires about 10-15 hours of time; however, each person and situation is different, and the total number of hours will vary. An estimate can be provided on request.

What methods of payment are accepted?
Payment can be made in a variety of ways including BPay, Debit or Credit Card, or via direct deposit. Payment is also possible via Humm. This will need to be organised by you (and independent of Advance Assessment Clinic) prior to the assessment.

Are the costs of the assessment rebated through Medicare or Private Health Insurance?
Unfortunately, Medicare does not currently fund neuropsychological assessments. They do cover a small portion of an Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment under the Helping Children with Autism initiative if the child has been referred by a Paediatrician and is under 13 years of age.
Some private health funds may cover part of the fee for a neuropsychological assessment; however it is the responsibility of the patient to enquire with their respective health fund regarding available rebate. Due to the number of health funds and the varying levels of cover, it is simply not possible to provide you with specific information about the rebate you may be able to claim.

Why is there a fee for non-attendance or late cancellation?
Due to the length of appointment times for these evaluations, a $250 cancellation fee will be charged for appointments cancelled without at least 48 hours notice. It is very difficult to fill these lengthy appointment times with little notice and often a whole day has been set aside to complete your assessment. Exceptions to the fee include illness, or injury, in which case you should make contact as soon as possible to discuss.

Are you registered with NDIS?
No. Advance Assessment Clinic is not an NDIS registered provider.

Do parents have to be present?
For very young children, it is preferable if parents remain at the office. While I am working with your child, I may ask you to complete additional paperwork and/or questionnaires. Due to confidentiality of testing materials and distractions posed by the presence of others, parents are typically not permitted to sit in during testing. However, the parent waiting area is just outside the door of the testing room. Parents can help provide encouragement and verbally praise their child for his/her effort during testing breaks.
For adolescents who are comfortable and cooperative, parents may wish to drop off their child and pick them up after testing. If adolescents have a history of behaviour problems (aggression, oppositional behaviours), then parents should remain at the office.

For child evaluations, what should I bring?
Before the testing process, we will discuss records that I would like to review.
Your child and I will take periodic breaks on the assessment day. Feel free to bring snacks, drinks, and activities your child might enjoy during breaks. Snacks are for breaks only – snacking during testing creates distractions. Children will not be permitted to bring phones/tablets into the testing room.
Please ensure that siblings are not brought to an assessment as they often find the lengthy waiting times uncomfortable and tiring.

How do I prepare my child for the assessment?
Make sure your child has a healthy meal before the appointment, and that they don’t arrive hungry (even though they might have snacks during breaks.) Also make sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time the night before. Drowsiness will obscure test results and will make it difficult to provide accurate recommendations.
Children should NOT try to “practice” tests prior to the evaluation.

Should I/my child take ADHD medications on the day of assessment?
In general, medication should be taken as prescribed, depending on the referral question and the type of medication. Please discuss this with me at the time of booking.

How do I explain the evaluation process to my child?
You can say something like: “All kids have things that they’re good at, and things that are harder for them. Margot will be doing lots of activities with you so she can help figure out how we and how your teachers can help you do your best, enjoy yourself at school, and be happy. You’re going to be doing some puzzles, drawing, answering questions out loud, trying to remember words or pictures or stories. You might have to do a little reading, writing and maths– but not as much as you do at school. A lot of kids find that they really like it!”
Let your child know that there is no way they can “fail” the assessment but it’s important to do their best.

Can assessment be done via telehealth?
Yes, many of the assessments can be completed via telehealth. Please discuss this option with me if it is something you would like to consider.

What do I need for telehealth assessments?

You will need:

• an internet-connected computer, laptop, iPad, or tablet with a reasonably large screen
• the Zoom or Microsoft Teams app downloaded on to this device
• a mobile phone that can access the internet
• access to Wi-Fi or sufficient data on your mobile
• Skype or FaceTime downloaded on to your mobile
• a table or flat surface you can sit at that is at least 1.5 metres in width
• a book or something similar which you can rest your mobile against so it can stand up on its end towards you

For telehealth, we will use two video connections at the same time. We will use a Zoom video connection on the larger screen. We will use a FaceTime or Skype video connection on your mobile.

Before the assessment, we will schedule a brief “telecheck” to practice video calls and to make sure you have everything set up okay.