Cognitive assessment
A cognitive assessment is a structured, in-depth evaluation of how your mind is working. Using standardised psychological and neuropsychological tests, it builds a detailed picture of your cognitive strengths and difficulties, compared against what’s typical for your age and history.
It can look at
Intellectual functioning
Memory
Attention
Executive functioning
Language
Visuospatial ability
Processing speed
Academic skills
Common reasons for an assessment
To understand a long-standing difficulty
To seek or confirm a diagnosis
To access supports or funding
To plan treatment or rehabilitation
For clarity and peace of mind
What cognitive assessments are used for
Identifying cognitive strengths and difficulties, giving a clear picture of how someone thinks, learns and processes information.
Supporting the diagnosis of a range of conditions affecting cognition and behaviour, alongside your medical team where relevant.
Guiding treatment and rehabilitation by pinpointing the specific areas to target, so that support is tailored rather than generic.
Establishing a baseline against which future change can be measured, such as with mild cognitive impairment or recovery after brain injury.
Unlocking access to supports and funding, including NDIS, Centrelink, and education, sport or workplace adjustments, through formal documentation.
Informing decisions about study, work and day-to-day living, so that plans fit the way you actually think and learn.
Providing reassurance and understanding, as sometimes the most valuable outcome is simply knowing what is, and isn’t, going on.
Conditions an assessment can help with
Intellectual disability
Involves significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (such as processing speed, verbal ability, working memory, and reasoning) and adaptive functioning (the everyday conceptual, social, and practical skills needed for daily life), with onset during development. Diagnosis requires formal measurement of both intellectual ability and adaptive behaviour.
Specific learning disorder (SLD)
Persistent and specific difficulties in learning and using academic skills, such as reading (dyslexia), written expression (dysgraphia), or mathematics (dyscalculia), that are unexpected given a person's age, education, and overall intellectual ability, with onset during development. Assessment combines academic achievement testing with cognitive measures to identify the precise nature of the difficulty and document and inform support.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
A neurodevelopmental condition characterised by difficulties with attention, and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity, that interfere with everyday functioning. Assessment combines detailed history, standardised rating scales, and direct testing of attention and executive functioning, while carefully considering other factors that can look similar.
Curiosity or giftedness
Not every assessment starts with a concern. Some people simply want a clearer picture of how their mind works. To determine their cognitive strengths, how they learn and think best, or why certain tasks come more easily than others, all without there being anything "wrong." A cognitive profile can be genuinely useful in its own right, for career decisions, further study, or personal insight. Others come specifically for a giftedness assessment, to formally identify high cognitive ability. This might support entry into a gifted education program, or inform planning for work or study.
Acquired brain injury (ABI)
Damage to the brain that occurs after birth. For example following a stroke, a traumatic brain injury (concussion/mild, moderate, or severe), or the effects of substance use. Assessment uses neuropsychological measures to map the specific pattern of preserved and affected abilities, which is essential for guiding rehabilitation and for decisions about returning to work, study, sport, or general daily areas of living.
Dementia
A significant decline in cognition from a person's previous level due to a neurodegenerative process, leading to major impairments in independent daily living. There are several types, including Alzheimer's, Vascular, Lewy Body, Frontotemporal, and Parkinson's Disease, with each having a characteristic pattern. Assessment helps describe the nature and severity of the changes, supports diagnosis, and provides a baseline for tracking change over time.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
A mild but measurable decline in cognitive functioning that is greater than expected for a person's age or prior functioning, but not severe enough to meet the threshold for a dementia or significantly impact unsupported daily functioning. MCI may convert into a dementia over time. However, sometimes it is not due to a neurodegenerative process and is secondary to other processes such as depression, anxiety, stress or adjustment to major life changes. This impairment in functioning can normalise in time, sometimes on its own, or with targeted intervention.
General cognitive concerns
Not every concern fits neatly into a diagnosis. If you've noticed changes in your memory, concentration, or thinking, an assessment can help clarify what's happening. Either way, whether your results sit in the average range, are better explained by factors such as mood, stress, sleep, medication, or point to something that warrants further investigation, you'll come away with a clearer picture, and a sense of what to do next.
What can be measured?
An assessment uses a range of cognitive and neuropsychological measures, chosen to suit your situation and the questions we’re trying to answer. It can evaluate:
Intellectual ability (IQ) An overall summary of thinking ability (Full Scale IQ), drawn from verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed tasks.
Language and verbal ability Naming, vocabulary, and producing words quickly by their sound or by category.
Reasoning and visuospatial ability Reasoning with words, pictures and numbers, general knowledge, and judging and putting together shapes and designs.
Attention and working memory Picking out what matters, keeping attention going over time, and holding information in mind while using it.
Processing speed How quickly simple information is taken in and acted on.
Verbal memory Learning, recalling and recognising information that is heard.
Visual memory Recalling and recognising information that is seen.
Executive functioning Holding back a habitual response, switching between tasks, planning ahead, noticing errors, and decision-making involving risk.
Academic achievement Word reading, sounding out unfamiliar words, reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematics.
Adaptive functioning Conceptual, social and practical skills in daily life.
Mood Depression, anxiety and stress.
Psychological, behavioural and cognitive symptoms Considered against the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR).
Who can arrange an assessment?
Private/self-referred: decided by the person themselves, or with help from a family member, carer or friend. No doctor’s referral or prior medical appointment is needed.
NDIS participants: decided by the participant, or recommended by a family member, friend, carer, support coordinator or support worker, for participants who are self-managed or plan-managed.
Medical/allied health referrals: recommended by a doctor such as a GP, neurologist, geriatrician or psychiatrist, or by an allied health professional such as an occupational therapist, speech pathologist or psychologist.
Assessment process
Initial enquiry and triage. You start by choosing a time for an initial intake session online. A short pre-appointment form is then emailed to you. I read it beforehand, so the intake can focus on what you need, and I will let you know early if another service would suit you better.
Initial intake session. Before testing, I gather your background, including your concerns, relevant history, and what you're hoping to get from the assessment. This ensures the assessment is focused on the questions that matter to you, and that conducting one is appropriate for your needs.
Assessment session(s). The testing itself involves working through a series of standardised tasks, such as answering questions, solving problems, and completing activities that measure different cognitive abilities. Sessions are paced with breaks, and can be split over multiple days. The length and number depend on the type of assessment. Testing generally takes 1 to 4 hours, not counting the 1-hour intake session. Larger combined assessments can take longer.
Scoring, interpretation, and report writing. After the session, I score and analyse the results, integrate them with your history and any other relevant information, interpret what the overall pattern means, and create a report.
Feedback. We discuss the findings. What was assessed, what it shows, and what it means for you, including practical recommendations and next steps.
Written report. You receive a comprehensive written report documenting the assessment, findings, diagnosis (where applicable), and recommendations, suitable for sharing with the people and services who need it.
Assessment reports
A formal report is often the key that unlocks support, and I can prepare reports tailored to their intended purpose, including for:
NDIS Support applications or plan reviews, and evidence of functional impact.
Centrelink Support applications for disability support pension.
Education To support study adjustments or exam accommodations.
Medical specialists To inform and support the work of neurologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists, and other treating health professionals.
Sporting bodies To support applications for sporting adjustments or disability eligibility.