Clues that can guide good parenting

Edited by Jill Wright, 24 February 2015

As I was out for my morning walk today I was overtaken by several youngsters on scooters and skateboards. They were on their way to school, and they were clearly happy with the prospect.

It's a scene that must be duplicated many thousands of times every morning, all over Melbourne. Child psychologists love to see that sort of thing, because it generally indicates that children aren't having problems at school.

Parents can pick up a lot of clues about a child's wellbeing and development from simple observations like that. Are the kids their usual bouncy selves when they head off in the morning, or do they drag their feet or claim to be ill?

Are they happy to talk about their day at school or do they clam up? Do they talk about their school friends? Do they bring them home? 

Identifying those tell-tale signs is an essential skill of parenting. But sometimes they are less than obvious, and that's where skilled child psychologists can be a tremendous help.

Psychological assessments for children can show up all sorts of things: what a child can do well and what is hard for them, for instance. 

The results can often help with planning programs for school and for home, and may provide some invaluable ideas for improving a child's abilities and his or her peace of mind ... to say nothing of the parents'.

At Psychology Melbourne we offer three different types of child psychological assessments: 

• Educational
• Clinical and diagnostic
• Adaptive skills and functional behavioural

We also offer an initial screening assessment to help guide parents who are unsure whether a child needs a psychological assessment or what kind of assessment might be appropriate.