The school (with parental permission) or parent(s) can commision an educational psychologist to work with an individual child. The programme of work most frequently involves some or all of the following:
- Consultation with the parents, school (teachers) and child (where appropriate).
- Observation across different contexts e.g. the classroom, playground etc (the EP may observe the child’s learning or behaviour and/or any interventions being employed to support the child).
- Direct assessment of the learning or behaviour that is of concern (this may include literacy, numeracy, cognitive ability, speech and language, motor skills, social/friendship skills, self esteem etc) using appropriate psychological and educational assessment tools.
- Formulating intervention plans to move children forward in the area/s of interest or difficulty. Collaboratively working with teachers and/or parents.
- Developing home-school plans with teachers and parents
- Supporting, teaching and modelling to teachers & families how to implement more complex home or school interventions.
- Writing of an Educational Psychologist Involvement Summary or a more detailed report (dependent on what is appropriate and has been requested).
- A 3-6 month review of progress with the adults originally consulted is strongly recommended to evaluate progress, assess the efficacy of the ongoing support arrangements and plan steps for the future.