The Assessment Report: How to Read, Understand, and Use Your Child’s Results
Assessment reports shouldn’t gather dust. The real value is turning findings into a plan for home and school. Here’s how to read the key sections, focus on what matters, and use the report to secure the right supports.
What you’ll typically find inside
Reason for referral & background
Tools used (e.g., WISC-V, WIAT-III, Conners-4, BRIEF-2, Vineland-3)
Scores (standard scores, percentiles, descriptive ranges)
Interpretation & diagnoses (if any)
Recommendations for home and school
Making sense of scores (quick guide)
Standard scores usually average 100 (90–109 = average range).
Percentiles show how results compare to peers (50th = average).
Descriptors (e.g., Low, Average, High) summarise the range.
Focus on patterns: strengths to leverage and areas to support—not single numbers.
What matters most for next steps
The story behind the numbers (observations, effort, anxiety, attention).
Functional impact: What’s hard at home and school (e.g., task initiation, writing endurance)?
Action list: Clear, practical supports tied to specific goals.
Sharing the report with school
Provide the summary and recommendations to your classroom teacher and Learning Support/Wellbeing Coordinator. Ask for a meeting to discuss the report and develop measurable goals, the specific strategies to be used, and a review date (often once per term).
Questions to ask your clinician
What are my child’s top three strengths to leverage?
Which two areas should we prioritise first?
What should school try for 6–8 weeks, and how do we track progress?
When should we review or reassess?
When to reassess
Consider a review if there are major school transitions, significant changes in functioning, or after a period of targeted intervention to check progress and update strategies.
If you haven’t completed formal testing yet, booking an assessment now will give you a clear roadmap for home and school supports.
Ready to get clarity? Book an ADHD assessment. Practical recommendations and collaborative school planning. Clinics across Melbourne and telehealth.
Call 0422 651 697 or email katherine@gaytonpsychology.com.
General information only; not a substitute for personalised clinical advice.