What should a good assessment of a neurodevelopmental disorder (anything from dyslexia to autism) look like?

Dr Joshua Carritt-Baker provides clinical and neuropsychological services in general, educational and expert witness contexts.  He has a particular interest in developmental cognitive neuropsychology and has worked in this area for many years.  He is the managing director of MPA and the lead developmental psychologist there. He has taught other clinicians and lawyers on how neurodevelopmental disorders are relevant to family and educational law. He is a founding trustee of the charity RightPro, which brings together clinicians and lawyers to further the understanding of how psychological issues are addressed in education and the workplace.  You can read more about us and join our communities at EveryPro. He has provided over 500 expert reports, attending court or tribunal to give evidence on over 60 occasions.

c/o MPA - 17 Prince Albert Street - Brighton - BN1 1HF - 01273 203 800 www.EveryPro.org - admin@EveryPro.org

• First and foremost, it must identify the specific areas of impairment i.e. the things that are evidently outside of normal bounds and which impact on a person's academic, occupational or social functioning or development, or their wellbeing.
• For specific learning disorders, this must include neuropsychological testing of cognitive ability and attainment as well as areas of specific functioning (like phoneme awareness).
• However, it should not rely wholly on those assessments as they often do not encompass every aspect of what contributes to a functional problem i.e. a problem that occurs when engaging in normal activities (like learning in the classroom).
• It should include a developmental history of general and neuropsychological issues.
• It should reference standard diagnoses (e.g. from the DSM) where applicable and relate these to more generic terms (like dyslexia and dyspraxia).
• It should indicate whether a responsible body (e.g. a school, university or employer) would be expected to consider the findings to constitute a disability under the Equality Act.
• It should provide a clear list of the support that should be provided and the changes/adjustments made.
• It must also include a clear account of areas of strength, with similar recommendations for how they can best be utilised.
• It should indicate where an area of concern has arisen that is outside of the assessor's expertise.

There are generally three types of assessment:

1. An assessment of or for a problem e.g. one that examines for the presence of symptoms of a specific disorder such as dyslexia - most commonly from a specialist teacher or assessor
2. A more general assessment of neuropsychological and other issues relating to education that is likely to pick up on any specific learning disorders - most commonly from an educational psychologist
3. A developmental cognitive neuropsychological assessment, which should fully integrate clinical (e.g. mental health), educational and neuropsychological findings to provide a complete picture of neurodevelopment and any identified disorders - most commonly from a specialist psychologist with wider neurodevelopmental expertise. See What is Developmental Cognitive Neuropsychology?

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