Psychological & cognitive assessments

Why arrange an IQ test or cognitive assessment in Singapore?

A cognitive assessment may be recommended by a school, school psychologist, teacher, doctor or another healthcare professional to better understand difficulties involving learning, attention, behaviour or emotional functioning.

It may be particularly helpful when:

• Your child is experiencing learning difficulties: their school results may not reflect their effort, some skills may be developing more slowly or there may be marked differences between areas of ability. An assessment helps clarify their cognitive profile, strengths and areas of difficulty.
• Your child has attention difficulties: they may struggle with concentration, work slowly, become easily distracted or find it difficult to remain engaged in learning. These difficulties may relate to an attention disorder, but they may also be associated with learning difficulties, anxiety or insufficient stimulation.
• Your child’s behaviour or mood has changed: significant tiredness after school, irritability, anger, sadness, loss of motivation or school refusal can sometimes be connected with difficulties experienced in learning.
• Your child lacks self-confidence: children are often aware of their difficulties and may compare themselves with classmates. Understanding how they learn and think can help explain their challenges and recognise their abilities.
• Your child experiences performance anxiety or may have high intellectual potential: some children place very high expectations on themselves, fear making mistakes, seek perfection or lose motivation when they do not feel sufficiently challenged.

Cognitive assessment

• A cognitive assessment explores different areas of intellectual functioning, including verbal comprehension, reasoning, working memory, visual-spatial abilities and processing speed.
• It may be recommended when there are school difficulties, questions about intellectual potential or when results do not appear consistent with the child’s abilities or effort.

Attention & ADHD assessment

• When a child has difficulties with concentration, impulsivity, activity levels or organisation, a more specific assessment of attention and executive functioning may be proposed.
• The assessment draws on several sources of information, including interviews, parent and teacher questionnaires, cognitive and attention testing and, where necessary, information from the school.

More than a score

• The purpose of an assessment is not simply to obtain an “IQ” or a diagnosis, but to understand the child’s individual profile.
• Parents receive detailed feedback together with practical recommendations for school and home and, where necessary, guidance about other professionals who may be able to help.
• Assessments can be completed in English or French, according to the language best suited to the child or adolescent.

Assessments in English or French

Assessments are conducted in the language in which the child or adolescent feels most comfortable, in English or French, to provide as accurate a picture of their abilities as possible.

A cognitive assessment includes the WISC-V, which explores different areas of intellectual functioning.

Where indicated, additional tools may be used to assess attention, executive functioning or learning difficulties more specifically.

Following the assessment, the results are explained to the parents and used to develop practical recommendations for home and school and, where necessary, referrals to other professionals.