COGNITIVE & GIFTEDNESS ASSESSMENT
Understanding giftedness, cognitive strengths and differences.
Cognitive assessment for children, adolescents and selected adults where there are questions about giftedness, high ability, cognitive strengths or an uneven cognitive profile.
Concerned about intellectual development or adaptive functioning? Where the main question relates to developmental delay, intellectual disability or adaptive functioning, our Intellectual Development assessment pathway may be more appropriate. For more information, see Intellectual Development →
01 — THE QUESTION
Am I gifted? Is my child gifted? What does their cognitive profile look like?
GIFTEDNESS AND HIGH ABILITY
Cognitive assessment can help identify whether a person shows very high ability overall or particular areas of exceptional strength.
It can also help describe where those strengths sit — for example in verbal reasoning, visual-spatial thinking or solving new problems.
AN UNEVEN PROFILE
Not every area develops at the same level. Someone may show very high reasoning ability alongside more typical working memory or processing speed, or large differences between different types of thinking.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cognitive & Giftedness Assessments
Cognitive & giftedness
How much does cognitive & giftedness assessment cost?
Assessments are charged by the hour at the current rate listed on Our Fees.
Because the assessment pathway depends on your child and the question being asked, the total cost can usually be estimated more accurately after the first consultation. The first consultation generally involves approximately one hour of professional time at the current rate. For more information about why we do not offer fixed price packages, see FAQs.
We will discuss likely next steps and associated fees before you decide whether to proceed. See Our Fees → for more information and an example assessment cost structure.
What is a cognitive assessment?
A cognitive assessment looks at different areas of thinking and information processing rather than simply producing one “IQ number”.
Depending on the person’s age and the assessment used, this may include verbal reasoning, visual-spatial abilities, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
What is giftedness?
Giftedness refers to unusually high ability or potential in one or more areas.
In psychological assessment, this may include very strong abilities in areas such as verbal reasoning, visual-spatial thinking, problem-solving, memory or other aspects of cognitive functioning.
Giftedness does not always look the same across every area. A person may have very high ability overall, particular areas of exceptional strength, or an uneven cognitive profile.
Assessment can help describe that pattern and what it may mean for learning, challenge and support needs.
Can cognitive assessment tell me whether my child is gifted?
It can provide standardised evidence about cognitive ability and identify areas of unusually high ability.
Giftedness is best understood as a profile rather than only a label or one score, so we consider the pattern of abilities and the reason for assessment.
What if the different cognitive scores are very uneven?
That can be one of the most useful findings.
A person may show very high ability in some areas alongside more typical performance in others.
The psychologist considers whether an overall score adequately represents the person’s abilities and explains the pattern rather than assuming every cognitive ability should be the same.
Is cognitive assessment only for children?
No.
BPA provides cognitive assessment for children, adolescents and selected adults where the referral question is appropriate.
Can you assess a gifted child under 6?
Sometimes.
Age-appropriate cognitive measures are available for younger children, but results in early childhood need to be interpreted carefully because development can change quickly.
Can a cognitive assessment be used for gifted early entry to school in the ACT?
Potentially.
The ACT Government has specific requirements for its gifted early-entry pathway, including requirements about the cognitive assessment used and the result obtained.
Please check the current ACT Government requirements before arranging an assessment specifically for early entry.
ACT Government early-entry requirements →
School readiness assessments →
If gifted early entry is the purpose of the assessment, tell us during screening.
Can I use the assessment for Mensa?
Potentially, depending on the assessment and result.
Australian Mensa has its own requirements for psychologist-administered prior evidence and also offers supervised testing for eligible applicants.
If Mensa membership is your only reason for assessment, tell us during screening because Mensa’s own testing may be a more cost-effective option where available.
Is this the right assessment if I am concerned about intellectual disability?
Usually not as a stand-alone cognitive assessment.
Questions about intellectual disability require consideration of both intellectual ability and adaptive functioning.
Our Intellectual Development pathway is designed for that question.
Do you assess dementia, acquired brain injury or new cognitive decline?
Not generally. BPA is not currently providing a specialist acquired brain injury or dementia assessment service.
BPA can provide baseline assessment and general cognitive functioning or memory assessments. In the first instance, new or progressive changes in memory, thinking or other cognitive abilities should generally be discussed with a medical practitioner and may require assessment by a clinical neuropsychologist or another specialist. New or progressive changes may be time-sensitive, so it is recommended that you speak with your GP as soon as possible.
The Australian Psychological Society’s Find a Psychologist directory can be searched for neuropsychological assessment.
02 — WHEN ASSESSMENT MAY HELP
Assessment can help clarify giftedness, strengths and cognitive differences.
Giftedness & high ability
Where a child, adolescent or adult appears to reason or learn at a very high level, or there are questions about giftedness or the need for greater challenge.
Cognitive strengths
To understand where a person’s strongest abilities lie and how different areas of thinking compare with one another.
An uneven profile
Where some abilities are much stronger than others, or there are questions about why some things are really easy and why some things are really hard.
Is your child under 6 years old? For younger children, assessment may focus on school readiness, socialisation, cognitive abilities, behaviour, adaptive functioning and broader developmental questions. For more information, see Assessment for Younger Children →
03 – WHAT COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT CAN LOOK AT
Cognitive assessment considers different aspects of thinking and learning.
Verbal comprehension
Understanding and using verbal information, explaining ideas, reasoning with words and drawing on acquired knowledge.
Visual spatial
Understanding visual information, analysing spatial relationships and working with visual patterns and designs.
Fluid reasoning
Identifying patterns, solving novel problems and applying reasoning when the answer cannot simply be recalled from previous learning.
Working memory
Holding information in mind, mentally working with it and maintaining attention while completing a task.
Processing speed
The speed and efficiency with which simple visual information can be identified, processed and responded to accurately.
Memory, storage & retrieval
Learning and retaining information over time, then retrieving it when needed. We can use additional memory measures where memory needs to be explored in greater depth.
The exact areas assessed depend on the person, their age and the questions the assessment needs to answer. Results are interpreted as part of an overall profile rather than as isolated scores. Additional neuropsychological measures may be used where memory, learning, attention or executive functioning need to be explored in greater depth.
Where English is not the person’s first language, many assessment procedures can be adapted, with language demands considered carefully and interpreter support used when suitable.
04 – GIFTEDNESS
Giftedness is best understood as a profile, not just a label.
Identifying high ability
Cognitive assessment can help identify unusually advanced reasoning abilities and clarify whether a child or adult’s performance falls within a gifted range.
What the result means
A high score can be useful, but it does not by itself explain learning needs, motivation, attention, social development or how somebody functions in everyday settings. Where relevant, we consider these broader factors alongside the cognitive results.
Concerned about intellectual development or adaptive functioning? Where the main question relates to developmental delay, intellectual disability or adaptive functioning, our Intellectual Development assessment pathway may be more appropriate. For more information, see Intellectual Development →
05 – MENSA & HIGH-IQ TESTING
Looking for MENSA eligibility?
IF THE MAIN GOAL IS MENSA ELIGIBILITY
Australian Mensa offers its own supervised entrance testing for people aged 10 and over. If the main goal is simply to determine eligibility for Mensa membership, this may be a more cost-effective option than a private psychological assessment.
For children under 10, Australian Mensa generally requires qualifying prior evidence from an accepted psychologist-administered IQ assessment rather than its own supervised entrance test.
IF YOU WANT A BROADER COGNITIVE PROFILE
BPA can provide cognitive assessment using tests that meet Australian Mensa’s requirements for prior evidence, where this is specifically requested and clinically appropriate. A private psychological assessment may be more useful where the goal is to understand how abilities are distributed across different areas, explore strengths and relative difficulties, consider learning or neurodevelopmental questions, or obtain a detailed report and recommendations.
06 – CHILDREN & ADULTS
Cognitive assessment might be useful at all stages of life.
Children & adolescents
Cognitive assessment can help clarify intellectual development, giftedness, an uneven cognitive profile, learning concerns, or how cognitive abilities relate to attention and school functioning.
For school-age children and adolescents, results are interpreted alongside developmental and educational history, school information and other relevant assessment findings. Where appropriate, academic →, behavioural or broader neurodevelopmental assessment → may also be recommended to gain a deeper understanding of a child’s current needs.
Adults
Adults may seek cognitive assessment to better understand strengths and relative difficulties, giftedness, longstanding learning or attention questions, or how they are managing increasing cognitive demands at work, study, in everyday life, or as they age.
Cognitive assessment may also be useful later in life where there are concerns about changes in memory, learning, processing or executive functioning. Depending on the referral question, additional neuropsychological measures may be used to explore these areas in greater depth, or referral to another service may be recommended where more specialised assessment is required.
Assessment is planned around individual goals and the question being asked, rather than using the same battery for every adult.
Is your child under 6 years old? For younger children, assessment may focus on school readiness, socialisation, cognitive abilities, behaviour, adaptive functioning and broader developmental questions. For more information, see Assessment for Younger Children →
07 – EVIDENCE & INTERPRETATION
Scores inform conclusions. They do not make them.
Cognitive results are interpreted alongside the person’s developmental, educational and clinical context. Factors such as attention, language, health, sleep, anxiety, motivation and previous learning opportunities may all influence how results are understood.
08 – WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A clearer picture of strengths, differences and next steps.
Integrated findings
A clear explanation of the cognitive profile and the meaning of important strengths or differences between abilities.
Considered feedback
A dedicated appointment to explain the findings and answer questions.
Report & recommendations
A written report with practical recommendations for education, further assessment, adjustments or other next steps where appropriate.
09 – FEES & NEXT STEP
Start with the question you would like answered.
The exact assessment varies according to the person and the questions being asked. Our screening process helps us determine what may be appropriate, and explains likely fees before you proceed.