Developmental Assessment

Our professional multidisciplinary team conducts appropriate assessment, makes professional diagnoses and formulates follow up plans and rehabilitation programs for children according to their developmental problems.

Scopes of Child Developmental Assessment may include:

  • Gross motor skills (walking, jumping and coordination etc.)
  • Fine motor skills (hand functions involved in writing and fastening buttons etc.)
  • Speech, language and communication
  • Emotion and behaviour
  • Social skills
  • Self-care skills
  • Attention, cognition and learning
  • Hearing function
  • Visual function

* The referral question and information collected from First Assessment will determine which aspects require in-depth assessment.

Common developmental disorders / problems

Common developmental disorders / problems in child include developmental language disorder, attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder, anxiety disorder, hearing impairment, visual impairment, intellectual disability and cerebral palsy etc. For detailed information, you may refer to the Common Developmental Disorders.

Sometimes, children can suffer from two or more of the above developmental disorders / problems. Thus, an accurate diagnosis can help parents to better understand their children’s needs and get access to appropriate support services.

How to prepare your child for assessment?

1. Attendees

  • Child must attend the assessment
  • Child’s father/mother or legal guardian must attend the assessment
  • Please bring along a relative/friend who speaks Cantonese or English if child’s parents can only communicate in Putonghua or other dialects, or contact centre staff to arrange interpreter if needed
  • Please bring along a sign language interpreter if child’s parent has hearing impairment who can only communicate through sign language, or contact centre staff to arrange interpreter if needed
  • If child/parent/companion is feeling unwell (e.g. cold/fever/rash etc.), they should not attend the assessment and should contact centre staff as soon as possible for further arrangements.
  • If child is on medication, he/she may take the medication as usual on the day of assessment. Parents can bring along the medication for our reference
  • All attendees must be on time on the assessment day

2. When attending the assessment, please bring along:

  • Hong Kong Birth Certificate/Hong Kong Identity Card/ Identity proof (Original copy),
  • Centre Follow-up card;
    and the following items if available:
  • Document with medical history and follow-up slip of other specialist clinics
  • Child Health Record issued by Maternal and Child Health Centre
  • All health records and assessment reports (e.g. assessment reports issued by Psychologists or Therapists, hearing test reports, vision test reports, etc.)
  • For child already admitted to school, please bring:
    • Chinese, English and Mathematics homework (primary student should also bring his/her homework, test papers, compositions and dictation books of different subjects)
    • Student Handbook
    • Examination report card
    • Progress reports, assessment reports and training progress reports
  • Child’s assistive devices (e.g. hearing aids and new batteries, glasses or vision aids etc.)
  • For child attending assessment by Doctor/Physiotherapist:
    • Child who can walk should wear sportswear and sports shoes (colorfast shoe soles)
    • For child who has physical impairment, please wear (or bring) shorts
    • Please bring along child’s rehabilitation equipment (e.g. walking aids / ankle-foot orthosis etc.)
    • Please bring photos or video footages of child’s rehabilitation equipment if you cannot bring the equipment to centre
  • For child receiving hearing test (Auditory Brainstem Response) - and was notified to take the medicine):
    • Please do not eat for 4 hours and drink for 2 hours before the assessment
  • For child who has special medical needs (e.g. oxygen therapy), please notify our staff during appointment booking

For enquiry, please call CAC before the assessment


3. Preparing your child

  • Ensure the child has adequate sleep, food and drink before the assessment
  • Parents can explain the assessment process to their children

    For younger children, parents can explain that the professional will do some "fun activities" with them.
    For school-aged children, parents can explain that the professionals will ask them to do some tasks in order to understand their strengths and weaknesses
  • No drilling or practicing is needed for the assessment

General Assessment Process

  • Interview the caretaker – Make sure a caretaker who is familiar with the child can attend the assessment
  • Conduct assessment – Do standardized testing, clinical assessment and observation, etc.
  • Explain assessment result, follow up plan and management - Parents / Guardians must attend the assessment session