Catalyst Psychology follows recommended Australian guidelines for the assessment of neurodiversity including ADHD, Autism and learning issues. Professionally and appropriately completed assessments avoid misdiagnosis; help identify all issues and strengths; help the person, their carers and teachers understand and accept their needs; and point people in the right direction for ongoing support.
The Psychologists at Catalyst Psychology are all highly trained in completing formal assessments of neurodiversity and learning or disability needs. We follow Australian guidelines for the formal assessment of these issues because we know this helps prevent misdiagnosis. We’ve also seen firsthand how these assessments improve understanding of the person involved, improve recommendations, and ultimately help acceptance of any difficulties. We strongly believe a thorough understanding of our strengths and needs, plus appropriate supports, helps protect self-esteem and achieve our best. This is backup by the processes recommended in Australian guidelines for assessment and intervention such as The Australian Evidenced-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For ADHD and the Australian Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
These guidelines recommend seeing appropriately trained and experienced health professionals such as Clinical or Educational and Developmental Psychologists if you are concerned your child or teen is neurodiverse. These professionals should use recognised and researched assessment tools. For example, Catalyst Psychology staff use the ADOS-2 or MIGDAS-2 to aid assessment of Autism. We will also seek the input of multiple people or complete a school observation to help understand how the client presents across different environments as recommended by these guidelines. We consider the strengths of the individual and use neurodiversity affirming approaches. Many parents or carers, plus young people, often know that something is ‘not quite right’ but are not sure exactly what may be the issue. We’re able to identify what is the best assessment in these circumstances too. Knowing what to do after a diagnosis can be confusing and overwhelming. We point people and their carers in the right direction with individualised, practical and evidenced-based focussed recommendations. Contact us to find out more or if you have any questions.
