Students with Disability

Chapter 7: Assessment service for students with disability

The Students with Disability Assessment Service provides assessments for students and assists schools and families to understand the educational support needs of students with disability. The service conducts cognitive and language assessments to establish whether a student has:

• an intellectual disability
• a severe language disorder with high functional needs (including students with complex communication needs).

These assessments may assist schools who wish to apply for support for students with disability through the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) or Disability Inclusion. Cognitive assessments are also conducted to support specialist school enrolment processes for students with intellectual disability.

All assessments are carried out by qualified and fully registered psychologists and speech pathologists.

Assessments Australia is contracted to conduct these assessments on behalf of the Department of Education.

Referring a student for assessment

If the school believes a student may have an intellectual disability or severe language disorder with high functional needs, they are expected to make a referral to Assessments Australia.

Before contacting the assessment service, the school needs to have verbal permission from the parent or carer to discuss the student. It is also necessary to have the relevant student information, such as the student’s history and current needs, on hand.

If there is sufficient evidence to suggest a student may have an intellectual disability or severe language disorder with high functional needs, Assessments Australia will send the school a referral pack.

For details about the referral process and the steps involved, refer to Assessment services for students with disability.

Assessment

If the referral proceeds to assessment, an assessor will get in touch with the school.

The school must contact the student's parent or carer to advise them when the assessment is scheduled to take place, and invite them to attend.

Following the assessment, the assessor will provide written reports and feedback to the school and the student's parent or carer.