Childhood Psychology

Get to know Childhood Psychology

From Childhood Psychology's website.

• Our approach

  Educational assessments at Childhood Psychology use Australian standardised psychometric tests—primarily the WISC-V (a cognitive test examining abilities like verbal comprehension, visual spatial skills, and processing speed) and WIAT-III (an achievement test looking at reading, spelling, writing and numeracy). Sessions involve gathering information about a child's developmental and educational history, then administering these recognised 'gold standard' tests that help identify learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and processing issues. The WISC-V is designed to be engaging, combining questions, puzzles and iPad-based activities, while the WIAT-III focuses more on literacy and numeracy tasks. Questionnaires from carers and teachers help build a fuller picture of any social-emotional concerns. The practice works collaboratively with children, families and teachers to understand why a child might be struggling in the classroom.

• Working with families

  Parents and carers are actively involved throughout the assessment process. You'll attend the clinical intake interview where the approach is explained and your questions answered, and you'll receive questionnaires to complete that help the psychologist understand any social-emotional concerns. Julie works collaboratively with families and their child's teachers, recognising that parents play an important role in understanding their child's unique learning needs. Communication about any additional assessments or follow-up sessions will happen with you as soon as practicable.

• Meet the team

  Childhood Psychology is led by Julie Steward, the Principal Psychologist and manager. Julie is a Registered Psychologist with AHPRA who has worked for over 20 years as a specialist child psychologist in community organisations and schools in Brisbane and Melbourne. She works with a small number of families at any one time, allowing her to offer a high quality and personalised service. Julie provides in-clinic appointments at Northgate (a northern suburb of Brisbane) and can also conduct assessments at a child's school during school hours with the school's agreement.

• Your first visit

  The first appointment is a clinical intake interview where the psychologist discusses the referral information, explains the tests and answers your questions. This appointment can be combined with the first round of testing (the WISC-V) or done separately, depending on what works best for your family. The second appointment typically occurs about one week later and involves the WIAT-III test. Each appointment usually runs 1.5 to 2 hours, and you'll also receive questionnaires to complete along with your child's teacher to help identify any social-emotional concerns. If additional assessments are needed for further clarification, this will be discussed with you as soon as practicable.