SEN question- can someone explain assessments?

[Theothername]

What’s the difference between

neuropsychological assessment
cognitive/IQ assessment
Educational/learning assessment

I’m trying to filter search for an educational psychologist and would ideally like a broad assessment to figure out what’s going on with dc (suspect adhd/dyslexia/autism) and would prefer not to have explore each possibility separately.

Hi, I don't have precise knowledge of what each assessment entails however I have read hundreds of assessment reports of all of these types within my job role, though it is worth mentioning this is limited to a small area in the UK.

I would say neuropsychological assessments look at general functioning of the brain and how this may impact behaviour, daily life etc. Cognitive assessments report on how the brain processes information and the functionality of this e.g. memory, processing etc.
Educational assessments are specific to how the person's SEN or suspected SEN impact their learning and what can be done to support them to learn most effectively.

If it is a diagnosis you are hoping for, in my area, this is usually done through a referral from an initial appointment as to which pathway may be most suitable e.g. ADHD/Autism. An assessment will then be conducted and a diagnostic report formulated.

I hope this helps. An email to an assessment provider may be useful in giving you further information about what each assessment would entail and what the resulting report would detail and could be used for, depending if this is important to you or not.