PCEA specialises in offering a range of psychological assessment services for families, legal professionals, local authorities and schools. We provided a trusted expert witness service within the family court system. We also offer private neurodevelopmental assessment services for families and other agencies , specialising in FASD, ASD and ADHD.
Expert Witness Services
Psychological Assessment
As expert witnesses, we are instructed to undertake psychological assessments of parents and children within private and public family law cases. Psychological assessments aim to provide a detailed understanding of why an individual is functioning as are in their lives, the strengths and weaknesses they have, and how these relate to proceedings. When assessing parents, we aim to understand how a parents’ own historical experiences may be impacting upon the care they provide to their children. In assessing children, we seek to understand how their experiences of being parented to date have affected them, whether there may be any other confounding issues such as learning and neurodevelopmental problems, and what support they – and their parents – may need in the future. Our reports contain detailed formulations as to how entire family systems have functioned to date, and in turn advise on how the children are best safeguarded in the future. The safety and welfare of the children involved in proceedings is always our number one priority.
Cognitive Assessment
When parents are in care proceedings, there can sometimes be concerns about their ability to understand the concerns of professionals, and to take on-board and act on recommendations necessary for change. When this is the case, a cognitive assessment can be requested to provide a standardised and reliable perspective of the parent’s intellectual functioning and what this means about their ability to engage meaningfully in proceedings. Recommendations for support will be made where a parent is found to have cognitive challenges.
Capacity Assessment
When parents are in care proceedings and there are concerns that they may have a significant learning disability or be suffering from severe mental health problems, a capacity assessment can be requested. This is often requested alongside a cognitive assessment. A capacity assessment is completed by a practitioner psychologist who will assess whether an individual is able to understand the proceedings, and to make their own decisions in relation to them. It is very important to establish capacity in parents within care proceedings where there is any doubt, to safeguard all involved.
Forensic Assessment
At PCEA we have associates who are forensic psychologists and able to provide forensic risk assessments of parents involved in care proceedings, where there are concerns about the level of ongoing risk an individual may represent to the children or other adults involved. Our associates can also take instructions within criminal law cases where assessment of risk is required.
Neurodevelopmental Assessment Services
FASD Assessments
Our FASD Assessment clinics offer several packages tailored to your child’s individual experiences and history of diagnoses to date. Led by Dr Cassie Jackson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist who also works alongside Dr Raja Mukeherjee at the National FASD Clinic, our Neurodevelopmental Team ensures expert evaluation and support throughout the assessment process.
For a child to be diagnosed with FASD, there must be documented evidence of prenatal alcohol exposure, reliable witnesses of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy, or strong circumstantial evidence relating to the birth mother’s lifestyle before and after pregnancy.
The only circumstance in which FASD can be confirmed without a clear history of alcohol exposure when the child has all three sentinel facial features associated with FASD, with no other cause established. It is important to be mindful, however, that most children with FASD (c.90%) do not have sentinel facial features. Further information about sentinel facial features is available in the SIGN 156 Guidelines. We are happy to advise about this before assessment is undertaken.
Until recently, before an FASD diagnosis could be confirmed, a CGH microarray was required to rule out the possibility of chromosomal abnormality contributing to the child’s presenting problems. The guidelines have now changed, and this genetic screen is no longer required unless:
- The child is found to have a global learning disability.
- There is evidence of unexplained dysmorphology.
The presence of either increases the likelihood of underlying genetic aetiology, which requires investigation. We will advise you if this is relevant to your child.
FASD Full Assessment
The Full FASD Assessment package is appropriate for children and young people who have not yet received any Neurodevelopmental Assessments or diagnoses and who display a range of developmental, social, and behavioural difficulties thought to be associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.
FASD Assessment with ADHD
The FASD Assessment with ADHD package is appropriate for children and young people at risk of FASD who have either already received a diagnosis of ASD or where there are no concerns about possible ASD, but ADHD remains a possibility.
FASD Assessment with ASD
The FASD Assessment with ASD package is appropriate for children and young people at risk of FASD who have either already received a diagnosis of ADHD or where there are no concerns about possible ADHD, but ASD remains a possibility.
FASD Neuropsychological Assessment
The FASD Neuropsychological Assessment will be conducted by Dr Cassie Jackson or a member of the Neurodevelopmental Team under Dr Jackson’s supervision and involves a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s developmental and cognitive functioning. This includes assessment of intellectual ability, executive functioning, adaptive functioning, memory, and academic attainment.
FASD Neuropsychological Assessment with Speech and Language Assessment
The FASD Neuropsychological Assessment with Speech and Language Assessment will be conducted by Dr Cassie Jackson or a member of the Neurodevelopmental Team under Dr Jackson’s supervision alongside one of our specialist Speech and Language Therapists.
ASD Assessment
At PCEA, we provide NICE-compliant assessments of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) for children and adults. This involves an assessment of cognitive functioning, a speech and language assessment, and use of other autism-specific assessment tools. We also collect information from family and school (for children) to gain a good understanding of how the child or young person is functioning in all environments. We provide individual feedback following assessments, including signposting for onward support.
ADHD Assessment
At PCEA, we provide NICE-compliant assessments of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for children and adults. This involves an assessment of cognitive functioning in addition to ADHD-specific assessment tools and protocols. In the case of children, we aim to gather information from their school as well as from parents or carers, to understand how they are functioning in all environments. We provide individual feedback following assessments, including signposting for onward support.
Neuropsychological Assessment
Dr Cassie Jackson and associates offer in-depth neuropsychological assessments for children, young people, and adults to provide a holistic understanding of why they may be having difficulties in their education, work, or general functioning in life. Neuropsychological assessment can be extremely helpful to best understand individuals with the following histories:
- Prematurity.
- Exposure to teratogens in pregnancy such as certain prescribed medications, illicit substances, or alcohol (see FASD.).
- Birth complications and hypoxic injuries.
- Neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD, ADHD, epilepsy, FASD.
- Traumatic or acquired brain injuries.
- General learning or developmental concerns.
- Specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
A detailed report is provided, alongside follow-up video consultation. Our assessment reports are frequently used to support EHCP assessment or reviews, and also to inform about other needs and associated support into adulthood.
Instruct an expert witness psychologist
We are trusted as one of the leading providers of expert witness services for family courts in the UK.
Enquire about a neurodevelopmental assessment
Are you concerned about your child’s development? Our assessments can help you to better understand your child and to access appropriate support.
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