Adult & Child Dyslexia Assessment Service

🧠 Executive Function Isn’t “Common Sense”
Executive function skills include:

• starting tasks
• planning
• organisation
• emotional regulation
• remembering instructions
These are not automatic for all learners.
They develop over time — and some children need more explicit support.

💡 Instead of assuming a child “should know,” we can:

✔ teach routines directly
✔ model planning strategies
✔ use visual supports
✔ reduce cognitive load

🌱 “They Can Do It at Home…”
A common concern from parents and teachers:
“They can do it at home, but not at school.”

This difference is often linked to:
• anxiety in classroom settings
• sensory demands of school
• social pressure and comparison
• different levels of structure and support
🧠 Environment can significantly change performance.
💡 Understanding context is key in assessment — not just looking at ability in isolation.

🎒 Why Some Children “Switch Off” in Class

Some learners seem engaged one moment and then suddenly “zone out.”
This is often misunderstood.

In reality, “switching off” can be a sign of:

• cognitive overload
• sensory overload
• difficulty sustaining attention
• fatigue from constant effort to keep up
🧠 The brain has a limit on how much information it can process at once.
💡 Helpful adjustments include:
✔ breaking instructions into smaller steps
✔ reducing background noise
✔ checking understanding regularly
✔ allowing short movement breaks

🧠 The Difference Between Ability and Access

A key principle in educational psychology:

👉 Ability is not the same as access.
A learner may fully understand a concept, but still struggle to:
• read the instructions
• write their answers
• process information quickly enough
• organise their thoughts on paper

💡 This is why assessments matter — they separate:
✔ what a learner knows
✔ from how they are able to show it
When access improves, performance often changes dramatically.

🧠 The Myth of “Lazy” Learners
It’s easy to misinterpret behaviour in the classroom.
A child who:

• avoids tasks
• appears distracted
• doesn’t start work quickly
• forgets instructions
is often labelled as “unmotivated.”

But psychology tells a different story.
In many cases, the issue is:

🧠 working memory overload
🧠 processing speed differences
🧠 anxiety or fear of failure
🧠 executive functioning difficulties
💡 Behaviour is communication — not defiance.
When we understand the “why,” support becomes far more effective.

👀 POLL: What part of an Educational Psychology assessment interests you most?
🔘 How children are observed
🔘 The types of activities used
🔘 The final report & recommendations
🔘 How parents/carers are involved
Tell us 👇

What comes after an Educational Psychology assessment?
This is where the real impact happens.
You can expect:
📝 A clear, accessible report
🎯 Practical, personalised recommendations
🏫 Strategies for school and home
🤝 Ongoing collaboration where possible
An assessment isn’t the end of the journey—it’s the beginning of better support.

No two Educational Psychology assessments look the same.
Why? Because no two learners are the same.
An EP might:
📘 Use tailored activities based on the child’s interests
🎨 Adapt their approach for communication needs
⏱ Work at the child’s pace
🌱 Focus on building trust first
Flexibility is key—especially when working with neurodivergent learners.

Behind every Educational Psychology assessment is one key question:
👉 “What does this child need to thrive?”
Assessments explore:
✔ How a child learns
✔ What supports or barriers exist
✔ Emotional wellbeing and relationships
✔ The environment around them
It’s not about finding what’s “wrong”—it’s about finding what works.

“Will my child be tested?”
It’s one of the most common questions we hear.
The truth is—an Educational Psychology assessment is much more than testing.
Yes, there may be structured tasks, but just as important are:
👀 Observations in real-life contexts
🗣 Conversations with the child
🤝 Collaboration with the adults around them