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HOME - ASSESSMENTS
Understanding Your Child’s Needs
COMPREHENSIVE CLINICAL ASSESSMENTS
Assessments
Understanding strengths, identifying support needs and building a clearer picture of everyday life.
Sometimes we know that someone needs support, but we need more information to understand exactly where, why and what that support should look like.
Assessments can help us build that picture.
At Bridge to Understanding, assessments are not simply about producing a score.
They are about understanding the person — their strengths, abilities, behaviour, independence, development and the areas where additional support may make everyday life easier.
Assessment results can help guide therapy, Behaviour Support, goal development, recommendations and future supports.
WHEN ASSESSMENTS ARE NEEDED
Why Might an Assessment Be Recommended?
There are many reasons why an assessment may be useful.
A family may want to better understand their child's development.
A therapist may want a baseline before beginning intervention.
A Behaviour Support Practitioner may need additional information as part of a Functional Behaviour Assessment.
A young person may be preparing for greater independence.
An adult may need support understanding their everyday functioning.
Or a participant may need clearer evidence of their functional support needs.
Assessments can help turn observations such as:
"They struggle with everyday tasks."
into a clearer understanding of which tasks are difficult, what level of support is required and where intervention may be most beneficial.
ASSESSMENT AREAS COVERED
What Can We Assess?
Depending on the individual and reason for referral, assessment may explore areas such as:
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Adaptive functioning
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Daily living skills
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Communication
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Social functioning
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Independence
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Emotional wellbeing
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Behaviour
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Behavioural and emotional risk
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Sensory processing
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Participation in everyday activities
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Mobility and functional skills
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Self-care
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Executive functioning
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Community participation
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Strengths and support needs
Not every person needs every assessment.
We select assessment tools based on the referral question and the information we are trying to understand.
OUR ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Our Assessment Tools
Depending on the person's age, needs and reason for assessment, Bridge to Understanding may use a range of standardised and structured assessment tools.
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Vineland-3
The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3) helps assess adaptive functioning — the everyday skills a person uses to function in daily life.
It can provide information across areas such as communication, daily living skills and socialisation.
This can help us understand what someone can currently do independently and where additional support may be required.
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BASC-3 BESS
The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) is a screening tool that can assist in identifying behavioural and emotional strengths and areas that may require further attention.
It can provide useful information when there are concerns about emotional wellbeing, behaviour or adjustment.
A screening result is not the same as a diagnosis. Instead, it can help identify whether further assessment or support may be appropriate.
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Sensory Profile 2
The Sensory Profile 2 helps us understand how a person's sensory processing patterns may influence their participation in everyday life.
This can include responses to sensory experiences involving sound, touch, movement, visual information and other aspects of the environment.
Understanding sensory patterns can be particularly useful when exploring regulation, behaviour, participation and environmental needs.
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PEDI-CAT
The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) provides information about a child's functional abilities and participation in everyday activities.
It can explore areas including daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive functioning and responsibility.
This can help identify areas of independence as well as tasks where additional assistance may be required.
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QABF
The Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) can be used as part of understanding why particular behaviours may be occurring.
It considers possible functions of behaviour and can contribute to a broader Functional Behaviour Assessment.
The QABF is not used in isolation to determine why a behaviour occurs. Information from observations, interviews, behaviour data and the person's wider environment should also be considered.
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
More Than a Score
A standardised assessment can provide valuable information, but a score never tells us everything about a person.
We consider assessment results alongside the person's:
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Individual circumstances
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Strengths
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Development
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Communication
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Environment
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Relationships
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Daily routines
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Support needs
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Behaviour
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Goals
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Family and caregiver information
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Existing professional information
Two people with similar assessment scores may have very different lives and require very different support.
The numbers provide information. The person provides the context.
THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
What Does the Assessment Process Look Like?
The assessment process will vary depending on the assessment being completed.
Generally, it may include:
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Understanding the reason for assessment
We begin by clarifying what information is needed and what questions we are trying to answer.
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Gathering background information
This may include discussions with the participant, parents, caregivers or other relevant people and reviewing existing information where appropriate.
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Completing the assessment
Some assessments involve questionnaires completed by someone who knows the person well.
Others may involve direct participation from the individual, structured questions, observation or a combination of approaches.
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Scoring and interpretation
The practitioner reviews the results and considers what they mean within the context of the person's everyday life.
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Recommendations
Where appropriate, findings can be used to develop practical recommendations for therapy, Behaviour Support, home, school, community participation or other supports.
CHILD-FOCUSED ASSESSMENTS
Assessments for Children
For children, assessment can help families and professionals better understand areas of development and everyday functioning.
We recognise that children can behave very differently depending on the environment.
A child may demonstrate a skill during a one-to-one session but struggle to use that same skill in a busy classroom.
Another child may cope throughout the school day but require significant support once they return home.
Information from parents, caregivers, educators and other professionals can therefore be incredibly valuable.
The aim is to understand the child across their everyday life — not simply how they perform during one appointment.
BEHAVIOUR-FOCUSED ASSESSMENTS
Assessments and Behaviour
When behaviours of concern are present, assessment may form one part of a much larger process.
A questionnaire cannot tell us everything we need to know about why a behaviour occurs.
We may combine assessment information with:
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Direct observations
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Behaviour data
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Incident information
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Interviews
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Environmental information
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Communication needs
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Sensory information
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Discussions with families and support teams
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Existing reports
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Functional Behaviour Assessment
Together, these sources of information help us develop a much clearer picture of what may be influencing behaviour.
BASELINE & PROGRESS TRACKING
Establishing a Baseline and Measuring Progress
Assessments can also help establish a baseline.
A baseline gives us a clearer understanding of where someone is before or during intervention.
Where clinically appropriate, assessment or other outcome measures may later be repeated or reviewed to help understand whether needs, skills or functioning have changed over time.
This can help answer questions such as:
What has improved?
What remains difficult?
Where is additional support still required?
Do we need to change our approach?
Progress should never be based only on a practitioner's impression that someone "seems better."
Where possible, we want to combine professional observation with meaningful evidence.
NDIS ASSESSMENT SUPPORT
Assessments and the NDIS
Assessment information may also be useful in helping describe a participant's functional abilities and support needs.
Depending on the assessment and circumstances, findings may contribute information relevant to therapy planning, Behaviour Support, progress reporting or discussions about functional support needs.
However, an assessment does not guarantee that the NDIS will approve a particular support, funding amount or plan change.
Our role is to provide accurate information and professional evidence about the person's functioning and support needs.
COLLABORATIVE TEAM APPROACH
Working With the Wider Team
With consent, assessment findings can be considered alongside information from other professionals involved in the person's care.
This may include Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, psychologists, Behaviour Support Practitioners, educators, medical professionals and other allied health providers.
Different professionals may assess different areas.
Working collaboratively can help ensure recommendations complement one another rather than looking at the person through only one lens.
RIGHT ASSESSMENT SELECTION
Choosing the Right Assessment
More assessment isn't necessarily better assessment.
We don't believe in completing assessments simply because they are available.
The important question is:
"What are we trying to understand?"
From there, we can determine which assessment — if any — is appropriate.
Sometimes one assessment may provide the information needed.
Sometimes several sources of information are required.
And sometimes a different professional or type of assessment may be more appropriate.
We will discuss this with you before proceeding.
PERSON BEHIND RESULTS
Understanding the Person Behind the Results
Assessment can give us valuable information.
It can highlight strengths.
Identify support needs.
Provide a baseline.
Help guide intervention.
And give families and support teams a clearer understanding of everyday functioning.
But an assessment result is only one part of someone's story.