A behavioural assessment is designed to understand the factors contributing to a child or young person’s behaviour across home, school, and community settings. Rather than focusing on behaviour in isolation, this assessment explores why behaviours are occurring, what maintains them, and how they interact with emotional regulation, learning, and development.
Behavioural assessments are particularly helpful when behaviours are persistent, impacting daily functioning, or not responding to general strategies or supports.
Who conducts a behavioural assessment?
Behavioural assessments at The Daisy Clinic are conducted only by psychologists with training and experience in child and adolescent behavioural assessment and formulation.
These assessments require expertise in clinical interviewing, behavioural analysis, psychometric assessment, and the integration of information across multiple informants and settings.
Who are behavioural assessments for?
A behavioural assessment may be recommended for children and young people when behavioural concerns are persistent, complex, or significantly impacting daily functioning. In most cases, it is recommended that families have accessed intervention prior to a behavioural assessment, such as parenting support, school-based strategies, or therapeutic intervention. Behavioural assessments are particularly appropriate when:
- behaviours persist despite appropriate intervention, or
- behaviours escalate, generalise across settings, or become more complex over time.
A behavioural assessment may be considered when there are concerns such as:
- Persistent behavioural difficulties at home or school
- Emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, or frequent outbursts
- Oppositional, defiant, or aggressive behaviour
- Difficulties following rules, instructions, or routines
- Concerns about attention, impulse control, or hyperactivity
- Behavioural difficulties that impact learning, relationships, or family functioning
Behavioural assessments are appropriate across childhood and adolescence, depending on the nature of concerns and referral questions.
What assessments are used?
Behavioural assessments draw on information from multiple informants and methods to understand behaviour in context.
A typical behavioural assessment might include:
- Parent interview to gather developmental, family, and psychosocial history and understand presenting concerns
- Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) to identify the function of behaviours, including triggers, maintaining factors, and consequences across settings
- Standardised questionnaires, including:
- BASC Parenting Relationship Questionnaire (PRQ)
- BASC Parent Rating Scales
- BASC Teacher Rating Scales
- Cognitive assessment, where required, to understand whether learning, reasoning, or cognitive factors are contributing to behavioural presentation
For some young people aged 12–18 years, a personality assessment (e.g. PAI-A) may also be included where clinically indicated, to support understanding of emotional functioning, coping styles, and interpersonal patterns. This component is not routinely required and is used selectively based on clinical need.
This combination allows clinicians to examine behaviour across settings and develop a clear formulation to guide targeted intervention.
Is this a diagnostic assessment?
A behavioural assessment may support diagnostic clarification and differential diagnosis, particularly where behaviour is complex or occurs alongside other concerns. Depending on findings, a behavioural assessment may inform consideration of:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
- Emotional regulation difficulties or anxiety
- Behavioural impacts associated with learning or developmental differences
Behavioural assessments also play a key role in guiding targeted intervention and behaviour support planning, even where a formal diagnosis is not made.
What is involved and what does it cost?
Behavioural assessments at The Daisy Clinic follow a staged and flexible process, with assessment components selected based on the severity and complexity of the child or young person’s behavioural presentation.
Review of existing documentation (if required)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Cost: 232.99
A review of existing documentation is not routinely required for all behavioural assessments. It is typically recommended where a child or young person presents with severe or complex behavioural concerns, or where there is a significant volume of existing information to consider.
This may include:
- previous psychological or allied health reports
- school reports or behaviour incident records
- previous behaviour support or intervention plans
- multidisciplinary correspondence
For mild to moderate behavioural concerns, this step is often not necessary. The need for document review is determined based on the severity of concerns and the amount of relevant documentation available. Families are advised in advance if a document review is recommended.
Step 1: Parent Interview
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Cost: $349.49
A detailed interview with a parent or carer to understand developmental history, family context, and behavioural concerns across settings.
Step 2: Questionnaires and data collection
- Cost: $116.50 per questionnaire
This step includes parent and teacher questionnaires and forms part of the Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) data collection process. A minimum of six questionnaires is generally required (typically three parent and three teacher forms) to ensure behaviour is understood across settings. Questionnaires are used to understand behavioural patterns, emotional regulation, attention, and relationships across home and school settings.
Behavioural assessments typically include:
- BASC Parenting Relationship Questionnaire
- BASC Parent Rating Scales
- BASC Teacher Rating Scales
These questionnaires provide a comprehensive view of behaviour, emotional functioning, and relationships across home and school environments.
Step 3: Teacher interview (if concerns occur at school)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Cost: $291.22
A structured interview with the child or young person’s teacher to contextualise questionnaire data, understand classroom expectations, and explore behavioural triggers and responses in the school environment.
Step 4: School-based observation (if concerns occur at school)
- Cost: $349.49 (including travel within the Hawkesbury region)
A direct school-based observation forms part of the Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) and is used to observe behaviour in context, identify antecedents and consequences, and validate behavioural hypotheses.
Step 5: Cognitive Assessment (if required)
- Duration: Typically up to 2 hours
- Cost: $582.47
A cognitive assessment may be included where learning, reasoning, or cognitive factors are suspected to be contributing to behavioural difficulties.
Step 6: Feedback and Reporting
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Cost: Included at no additional charge
A feedback session to explain assessment findings, answer questions, and discuss recommendations and next steps with families.
Reporting options and costs
At the conclusion of the behavioural assessment, families may choose between the following reporting options:
- Brief Summary Report: $465.98
A concise written summary integrating assessment findings, diagnostic conclusions, and priority recommendations. - Comprehensive Behavioural Assessment Report: $1,397.94
A detailed report integrating all assessment data, diagnostic formulation, and comprehensive recommendations across home, school, and community settings.
It is strongly recommended that a comprehensive behavioural assessment report is completed, given the complexity and breadth of concerns typically explored in this pathway.
Typical costs
Behavioural assessments are individualised, with assessment components selected based on the severity of concerns and whether behaviours occur across home only or home and school settings. The costs below reflect the most common assessment pathways.
This is the most common pathway where behaviours occur across settings and a Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) is required.
Assessment components:
- Parent interview: $349.49
- Questionnaires (minimum of six: three parent / three teacher): $699.00
- Teacher interview: $291.22
- School-based observation (including travel within the Hawkesbury region): $349.49
-
Comprehensive Behavioural Assessment Report: $1,397.94
Based on the components outlined above the typical overall cost for a comprehensive behavioural assessment is $3,087.14.
These components are not routinely included and are recommended only where clinically indicated:
- Review of existing documentation (complex presentations): $232.99
- Cognitive assessment: $582.47
- Personality assessment (PAI-A, ages 12–18): $465.98
Where additional components are recommended, families are informed in advance and provided with a clear explanation of purpose and cost.
Our formulation-focused approach
Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) is bundled into the behavioural assessment pathway and is not charged as a standalone service. The components above are selected based on clinical need and whether behavioural concerns occur at home, school, or across both settings.
Behavioural assessments at The Daisy Clinic focus on understanding behaviour, not just measuring it. Findings are integrated into a clear formulation that explains what is driving behaviour and what supports are most likely to be effective.
If you are unsure whether a behavioural assessment is appropriate for your child or young person, our team is happy to discuss your concerns and help guide next steps.