Assessments Aptitude Testing School Readiness Subject Choice Career Counselling Specific Learning Problems Developmental Disorders Foster Care Placements/Adoption Screening Psychological and Mental Status Examinations Assessment of Trauma Aptitude Testing An Aptitude test assesses a person's capabilities or competencies for doing certain types of tasks. It is also used to predict what a person can do and/ or learn given the right instruction and/or education. School Readiness School Readiness assessments are conducted on learners who are in their last term of Grade R to ascertain whether their cognitive and emotional development is on par to start with formal education in Grade 1 in the following year. This includes an assessment of IO, perceptual development, fine and gross motor development and emotional screening. Subject Choice Towards the end of Grade 9, all learners must choose subjects that they are interested in and may want to continue studying on the tertiary level. Assessments generally consist of aptitude, personality, interest and value assessment. Career Counselling Career counselling assessments include the same assessment tests as those used for subject choice. These include one's interests, values, abilities, background and personality. Specific Learning Problems Assessment for specific learning problems includes an assessment to identify neurological processing problems which have an influence on the learning of basic skills, such as to read, to write or to do mathematics. It also often interferes with executive functioning skills like planning, organizing, memory, attention and even abstract thinking. Developmental Disorders Developmental Disorders, also known as neurodevelopmental disorders. Developmental disorders involve dysfunction with various aspects of a child's psychological growth. Such disorders include for instance: Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder Autism spectrum disorders Learning disabilities Intellectual disability Foster Care Placements/Adoption Screening This entails the assessment of families to ascertain whether they are safe, fit and functional to be granted foster care residence and/or to become adoptive parents. Psychological and Mental Status Examinations The mental status exam is an exam that is comparable to the physical exam. it comprises a series of exams together with observations done all at once. Specific focus questions and/or observations reveal findings that could either be normal or pathological. The examination and observation for a picture of the patients, emotions, their thinking cognition as well as their appearance. This together with the patient's history, both family and personal forms the basis of the psychiatric diagnosis. Assessment of Trauma The experience of trauma may lead to conditions such as Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.) Assessing an individual for trauma may assist in making an earlier diagnosis which improves the chances of more effective treatment intervention. To assess for trauma the NICHD Interview Protocol together with other psychological assessment techniques and psychometric tests are used.