Remote assessment guidance for individuals and/or parents

Like many activities such as work or study, diagnostic assessments can now be carried out online. An assessment conducted online will be just as robust as an in-person assessment, will include a range of activities to help identify any specific learning difficulty that may be present and will be able to reach a diagnostic decision.

Having an assessment online has a number of advantages. For example, you don’t need to travel to see an assessor, you may be more comfortable in your own home and you will have access to your own refreshments.

If you chose to undertake a diagnostic assessment online, the below outlines what to expect at each stage.

Before assessment:

• Every assessment should be precluded by the completion of questionnaires sent to you by the assessor or organisation arranging the assessment. These will ask about your history of need and current challenges. Questionnaires will also need to be completed by a school or employer in most cases.
• The date and time of assessment will be confirmed and a deposit may be taken.
• The assessor will send you a link to join a remote platform at the allocated time of assessment, some time before the day. This is likely to be a link to Zoom, Teams or Skype.
• In some cases an assessor may post materials to you and ask that you do not open these until the day of assessment.

On the day of assessment:

• Like all assessments, the session overall is likely to be around 2-3 hours with breaks as necessary.
• Ensure that you join the link at the allocated time, do not be late.
• You will need to have a stable internet connection. You should have access to a good-sized screen, not a phone or small tablet. This will ensure that you can see materials clearly.
• You will need to be in a private space but not a bedroom. You may have a parent, carer or other person available in an adjoining room to help support you with any IT difficulties.
• You are likely to need a pen and several sheets of lined paper, as well as any materials posted to you prior to assessment.
• You will need to wear glasses if you use these usually.
• The assessor will share items on screen and may share audio files. You will need to be able to see and hear these clearly. You will need a camera so that the assessor can see you and a microphone.
• You will not be able to record any part of the assessment, as the materials used are copyright protected.
• The assessor will ask for some items to be photographed or scanned and emailed to them during the assessment or afterwards. This can be done on a phone, tablet or similar but images must be clearly visible.
• The assessor may be able to give you feedback at the end of the assessment or you may need to wait until you receive the report.

After assessment:

• The assessor will write the assessment report and send this to you in a secure format. Three weeks is a good ‘rule of thumb’ as to how long you should wait for a report, but do ask the assessor, as they may vary.