intellectual functioning assessments

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An Intellectual Disability (ID) is characterised by:

• Significant impairment in adaptive functioning (difficulties in everyday functioning and independent living)
• Significant impairment in intellectual functioning (IQ below 70)
• Onset before age 18

All three criteria must be met for a diagnosis of Intellectual Disability to be given.

You may have heard ID referred to as Learning Disabilities (LD; which is still commonly used in the NHS), or by other more old-fashioned and negative terms such as mental retardation.

Many people with ID are also autistic, although autism is not an Intellectual Disability.

Some helpful information about ID can be found here, including the voices of people with ID themselves: https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/what-learning-disability 

Intellectual or Learning Disabilities tend to affect many different of areas of functioning. The term "Learning Difficulty" is sometimes confusingly used by people who mean Learning Disability, but this is not the correct term. A Learning/Intellectual Disability is defined above, whereas a Learning Difficulty (or Specific Learning Difficulty) affects a narrow set of abilities involved in learning. Examples of Specific Learning Difficulties include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. Specific Learning Difficulties are usually assessed and diagnosed by Educational Psychologists, and sometimes specialist teachers.

For clarity, we do not offer assessments for dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or other Specific Learning Difficulties.

We have a great deal of experience working in Learning/Intellectual Disability services in the NHS, and have carried out hundreds of diagnostic assessments. All assessments are NICE-compliant, and also follow best practice advised by the British Psychological Society's Faculty for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The process involves an initial assessment covering important aspects of the person's background and history, in order to establish whether the difficulties were present prior to the age of 18.

An assessment of adaptive functioning is completed using a structured assessment tool called the ABAS III (Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System 3rd Edition) and involves gathering information from someone who knows the person well, as well as the person themselves. It includes questions about home living skills, health and safety, social skills and skills accessing the community, among others.

In order to confirm whether the person has an IQ below 70, a cognitive assessment is carried out with the person. The current accepted assessment tool is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4th Edition (WAIS IV).

Following the completion of these assessments, a comprehensive report is written to summarise the evidence obtained, along with a diagnostic conclusion and bespoke recommendations. A feedback meeting is also useful to discuss the assessment results, answer any questions and think about recommendations for future steps.

Local NHS services are usually only able to assess someone for an ID if they have a health need that requires a specialist Intellectual Disability service. If you or the person you support has needs that do not meet this threshold, or if their needs are more related to social care rather than health, this assessment may not be available on the NHS. Assessments carried out by us are equivalent to those provided in the NHS, and may enable the person to access services set up for people with ID, such as supported living providers or day services.

The total cost of an Intellectual Functioning assessment on its own is £1200. This covers all steps of the assessment process. Other packages are available if you have more than one question about your neurodiversity or intellectual functioning. Please see fees page for more information.

The initial consultation (£150) is payable in advance, with the remainder due prior to starting the subsequent assessment steps if you decide to proceed.

If cost is a concern, you have the option of spreading your sessions over several months, allowing you to spread the cost over several paychecks. Please let us know if you would like to discuss this option.

Generally it is most helpful to have someone involved who knows the person well, who can describe how they carry out lots of everyday tasks. If this is not possible then we would do all of the assessment steps with the person themselves, ideally with some additional information from others who have been involved with the person in some capacity, e.g. a social worker.