What​ happens in an assessment?

Our cognitive assessments include very thorough discussions about your child's development, family history, education history, social development and your concerns. We will ask your child to complete many engaging and challenging puzzles and tasks using the most up to date and advanced technology. We will also spend some time talking about their strengths and their weaknesses in day-to-day tasks, such as eating, toileting, getting dressed, road safety, stranger danger and understanding money and time. Following this very comprehensive assessment, we will review the report together, examining the results, conclusions and recommendations, and we will have the opportunity to discuss the outcomes and next steps together.


Our assessments are more in depth than an educational psychology assessment, and can:

  • Provide a detailed understanding into your child's thinking, reasoning and academic abilities
  • Identify an intellectual / learning disability
  • Identify specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia
  • Evaluate intellectual and academic strengths and weaknesses
  • Assess for giftedness
  • Identify and recommend appropriate support to be put in place, from small changes within the classroom, to detailing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP).
  • Understand adaptive behaviours (adaptive behaviours describe the day-to-day things people do to function in everyday life, including communication skills, daily living skills, and social skills. 
  • Understand social cognition (the study of how people understand and perform in social interactions).
  • Assess executive functioning (a set of abilities related to planning and organising complex behaviours, attention and concentration, inhibition, and initiation of behaviours).

Adjustment Problems

  • Adjustment to changes associated with Coronavirus
  • Life transitions, bereavements. family separation and new schools
  • Adjustment to being a new parent​

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessment

  • In September 2020, CAYP Psychology launched an ASD clinic: Our specialist clinical psychologists can now offer assessments for ASD
  • Our thorough process includes pre-assessment questionnaires to be completed by parents and school, before we agree the assessment is the right one for our child.
  • An appointment for your child in clinic to complete the gold-standard Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) and an optional cognitive assessment to fully understand your child’s learning profile.
  • A video-based assessment for parents to discuss your child’s school history, family experiences and emotional well-being, in addition to completing a thorough interview about your child’s developmental history and autism traits
  • We adhere to the best practice guidelines, which requires an in-depth discussion between our experts to consider the outcome
  • A feedback appointment for parents with both clinicians, within one week of the assessment. 
  • You'll get a written report outlining the diagnostic outcome, wider understanding of your child's difficulties and recommendations most appropriate for your child.

Speak to our Clinical Psychologists online:

We offer support via Zoom Video Conferencing

​Behavioural Concerns

  • Behaviours that are difficult to understand and manage, including non-compliance or disruptive behaviour
  • Medically Unexplained Symptoms and psychosomatic difficulties
  • Sleeping and parasomnias (a group of sleep disorders that involve unwanted events or experiences that occur whilst falling asleep, sleeping or waking up).
  • Toileting difficulties, including soiling and wetting

Professional, thoughtful and sensitive: 

The support we offer for

Children, Adolescents and Young People

You can be Anywhere

  • You are not limited to being close to our clinics in Manchester
  • We accept referrals for online work from any location in the UK​.

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Insurance Companies

CAYP Psychology and our clinical psychologists are registered with the following health insurance providers. Even if your insurer is not listed below, please do get in touch as we may still be able to accommodate.

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​Technology is the Future

  • Children, Adolescents and Young People report that they enjoy speaking over technology
  • There is a growing body of evidence that outcomes are equally, if not more, positive than face-to-face sessions

Secure and Safe

  • Conversations are encrypted, meaning that only the people in the conversation can see and hear what is being said
  • The conversations are not recorded and are not stored anywhere.
  • We use the Zoom platform, which now requires the use of passcodes and waiting rooms. 

We specialise in effective, evidence-based and professional psychological work approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). 

Clinical psychologists specialise in a variety of therapeutic approaches, and all can be used depending on expertise, training and professional interests. We tend to prioritise Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Meta-Cognitive Therapy (MCT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), systemic and integrative therapies, and neuropsychological work.

We work collaboratively with Children, Adolescents and Young People experiencing a wide range of mental health, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties including:

​Social Difficulties

  • Bulling and social development
  • Cyber-bullying
  • Internet and technology addiction
  • Online safety

Following the uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus, we set up specialist facilities and software to be able to speak with you and your family, from the comfort of your own home, from anywhere in the UK. If you're not ready for face-to-face appointments, or even if you can't make it to one of our clinics, our online appointments work in the same way as they would in a face-to-face setting. We can send you information and documents instantly, and you can access the conversations from a mobile, tablet or desktop device. We even have clinical psychologists who have expertise in online and virtual therapies.

​Convenient and Efficient

  • We can arrange appointments throughout the whole day, subject to availability
  • There is no need for you to travel or make your way to one of our clinics
  • You can access the conversation without any specialist equipment or software: All you need is a mobile, tablet or desktop device, and the link that your psychologist provides
  • Your psychologist can send you images, files and even show you their screen.

Intellectual, Academic and Functional Assessment

  • Based on extensive expertise within paediatric neuropsychology, we offer assessments of cognitive, academic and day-to-day ability.
  • Assessments of dyslexia, social communication difficulties and other developmental disorders.
  • Assessments of learning disabilities 
  • Assessments of giftedness
  • Specialist assessment for concerns with learning, memory, communication, social skills and daily living skills.
  • Specialist neuropsychological assessments for neurological conditions including epilepsy and acquired brain injury. For learning and developmental concerns related to neurological health conditions, we would be likely to refer you on to a specialist paediatric neuropsychology service, such as at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital​

Mood ​Challenges

  • Anxiety, worry and panic attacks
  • Concerns related to the Coronavirus
  • Anger and emotional regulation difficulties
  • Phobias
  • Separation anxiety and generalised anxiety
  • Low self-esteem, low mood and depression

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​Gender, Sexuality and Identity

  • Anxiety and mood changes
  • Difficulties associated with coming out
  • Exploring sexual orientation and gender identity
  • Relationship difficulties