GOLD COAST EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

Educational and developmental psychologists assist individuals who are having difficulty with learning and/or developmental across the lifespan. Educational and developmental psychologists use their understanding of normal development to assess and treat a range of developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum conditions, ADHD, dyslexia and reading difficulties, language disorders, learning difficulties, and behaviour disorders. A small number of educational and developmental psychologists have expertise in the gifted and talented area.

The goals of a developmental and educational assessment are to:

1. Identify the source of school, workplace and/or developmental difficulties.
2. Identify unusual patterns of intellectual strengths or weaknesses.
3. Make appropriate diagnoses.
4. Demystify the individual's learning and behavioural profile so that parents, teachers and/or employers have an understanding of the individual's weaknesses and how those weaknesses affect them. Where relevant, strengths are identified and those strengths are leveraged to improve functioning and self-esteem.
5. Develop a treatment plan that addresses the problems and aims to improve the individual's school/workplace functioning and quality of life.