What types of assessments are there?
Two assessment appointment options (short or full) are offered in both Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy to best to meet your child’s needs without charging for unnecessary features.
| Initial Consultation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy | Short Assessment
|
Ideal when concerns are mild and parents are simply seeking information about whether or not to be worried AND when concerns are limited to just one of the following:
|
Full Assessment
|
For concerns including two or more of the following:□ Attention, learning readiness, high/low energy levels, noticing and responding to sensory information in the world around the child, and behavioural challenges.
This assessment is most helpful for NDIA funding applications. |
|
| Speech Therapy | Short Assessment
|
Ideal when concerns are mild and parents are simply seeking information about whether or not to be worriedAND when concerns limited to just one of the following:
|
| Speech Therapy | *Full Assessment
|
For concerns including two or more of the following:
This assessment is most helpful for NDIA funding applications. *The duration and cost of a full assessment may vary according the child’s needs and capabilities. In some cases, it may require 3 appointments. If a third appointment is required, the appointment is charged at a standard consultation fee. |
What does an assessment cover and how long does it take?
1) Short Initial Consultation covers:
- 45 minute consultation.
- A written report (at an additional cost) is provided within 5 working days, documenting the issues found and some relevant recommendations for home and kindy/school.
- Teacher phone call to feedback the assessment findings and discuss kindy/classroom strategies, where appropriate and when consent is provided by the parents.
- This assessment is best when:
- concerns are mild and parents are simply seeking information about whether or not to be worried, or
- the child is under 3, or
- parents are not sure where to start seeking help
- Following a short assessment, if other developmental concerns (beyond the skills assessed) are identified on the day, further assessment (making it a Full assessment) may be recommended.
2) Full Initial Consultation covers:
- 90 minute consultation*, which can be split over two 45 minute consultations.
- A written report (at an additional charge) is provided within 5 working days of the last appointment, documenting the issues found and some relevant recommendations for home and kindy/school.
- Teacher phone call to feedback the assessment findings and discuss kindy/classroom strategies, where appropriate and when consent is provided by the parents.
- This assessment is best when:
- parents are considering NDIA funding applications where full reports are helpful
- there are concerns in more than one area
- the child is over 4 years
- A full assessment is recommended when a child has undergone a short initial assessment but other areas of concern have been identified, which were unable to be addressed in just a short assessment appointment.
*The duration and cost of a full assessment may vary according the child’s needs and capabilities. In some cases, it may require 3 appointments. If a third appointment is required, the appointment is charged at a standard consultation fee.
Will I get a report, and how long will it take before I receive it?
An assessment report is optional, but recommended. A separate fee is charged in addition to the initial consultation fee, if the report is requested. Please discuss with your therapist or reception staff if you require a report.
A report will generally take about 2 weeks for completion (following the final assessment appointment) and will be emailed to you when finished. However, your therapist will also advise you of this.
*Additional reporting may be required for specific applications such as a NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme), school funding or special school/class applications. If required, this will be discussed with you at the initial appointment.
What should I do if I am not sure which assessment is most appropriate for my child?
Call Kid Sense on 1800 KIDSENSE (1800 543 736) to speak to one our team.
As we specialize in multi-disciplinary care we can help work through what type of assessment is best, what discipline is most appropriate or what order of intervention might be best suited to your child.
How much does an assessment cost?
Please call Kid Sense on 1800 KIDSENSE (1800 543 736) for costs specific to your child’s needs.
Can I use a Medicare Plan and be bulk billed?
We can accept Medicare Plans (note that different therapies and different therapists can only support certain plan types). Allied Health are unable to offer bulk bill, thus there will be a payment gap required for the use of all Medicare Plans.
Will I get a report, and how long will it take before I receive it?
An assessment report is usually* covered in the cost of the Assessment appointment. Where the therapist has been provided with all the necessary information, the report will typically follow within 5 working days of the last assessment appointment.
At parent request, this report can be emailed to involved teachers, Medical and Allied Health practitioners.
*Additional reporting may be required for specific applications such as atypical NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme), school funding or special school/class applications. If required, this will be discussed with you at the initial appointment.
Should both parents attend the assessment?
Kid Sense welcomes parent involvement as we actively seek to create a team approach. The more parents/carers see the better.
However, please note that as the assessment is the information obtaining and collating phase, those seeking a concise overview of the issues of concern may find it more useful to attend a subsequent treatment session after the assessment has been completed.
What should I bring to an assessment?
- Copies of Allied Health Professionals or school/pre-school reports in the last 12 months
- Copies of handwriting/pencil skills, if this is an area of concern
- Specifically enjoyed games to play while parents talk with the therapist
- Reading glasses (if applicable)
- Specific information from the teacher (if applicable)
Siblings can attend, but due to the amount of parent involvement encouraged in assessments, siblings may be better suited to attending treatment sessions instead.
Can I bring my other children?
Kid Sense is designed to be a child friendly environment. As many children have siblings, we cater to them also.
If you are concerned that the child’s sibling(s) might hinder their attention, the sibling(s) and their parent(s) are welcome to enjoy the child friendly waiting room until being asked to join in the session by the therapist, often towards the end of the session.
At the conclusion of the session when parents do not ‘sit in’, the therapist will invite them to the treatment room to show what was done, why it was done, what was found and what can be done to help at home/school/kindy or child care.
You may choose to find alternative care for the child’s sibling just for the assessment to give the initial session your full attention, but then bring the child’s sibling to subsequent treatment sessions.
What Medicare or Private Health Insurance rebate can I expect for an assessment?
Rebates under government programs are fixed and are outlined in Funding.
Rebates from Private health funds are determined by the duration of the appointment and the level of cover that you have. Due to privacy laws, Kid Sense cannot access your anticipated rebate level but instead suggest that you call your health fund to ask what the rebate is for an initial or subsequent appointment (for either 45 minute or under, or 45 min and over), and specify the discipline:
Occupational Therapy:
- 100 – assessment/initial consult
- 200 – treatment/subsequent consult
Speech Therapy:
- 310 – assessment/initial consult – up to 45 mins
- 320 – assessment/initial consult – 46-90 mins
- 340 – treatment/subsequent consult – up to 45 mins
How long does it take to get an assessment appointment?
You will not need to wait any longer than 1-2 weeks for your first appointment. We are fully staffed, with extremely efficient systems in place, and pride ourselves on the availability of our appointments.
What can I expect in an assessment?
What to expect in an assessment varies hugely based on the child’s age and the areas of concern bringing the child to the assessment. It will also be influenced by what the assessing therapist finds during the course of the assessment.
For information on what to tell your child about an assessment see our Visiting Us page which goes through what to expect in an Occupational Therapy visit and a Speech Therapy visit.
If I have already had an assessment do I need another assessment?
If you have an assessment report and the assessment was conducted within the last 12 months then no further assessment is required. Please ensure that the therapist can view the report before or at the time of the initial appointment.
