All Kinds of Minds

All Kinds of Minds Assessments provides assessments for children and young people from age 6 at the time of referral up to their 18th birthday.

• For children under 6 years of age, parents should consult their child’s G.P. regarding the appropriate H.S.E. pathway or consider another private provider offering assessment for younger children.

• For young people aged 18 years or over, the appropriate adult assessment pathway should be explored through their G.P. or another private provider offering adult assessment.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments aims to provide clear information about fees and payment arrangements before an assessment begins. The applicable fee will be confirmed in advance, and where a combined or individually configured assessment is required, the assessment components and overall cost will be agreed with the family before proceeding.

Assessment Fees:

• Parent Consultation: €200. The Parent Consultation is paid in full at the time of booking. It is required before Autism, A.D.H.D., and combined neurodevelopmental assessments proceed.

• Autism Assessment: €2,200. Together with the required €200 Parent Consultation, the overall cost is €2,400.

• A.D.H.D. Assessment: €1,400. Together with the required €200 Parent Consultation, the overall cost is €1,600.

• Combined Autism and A.D.H.D. Assessment: €2,700. Together with the required €200 Parent Consultation, the overall cost is €2,900.

• S.L.D. Assessment: €800. This includes assessment for dyslexia and/or dyscalculia. The fee is divided across the two assessment appointments, with €400 payable when each appointment is booked. An optional Parent Feedback Session is available for €200, payable at the time of booking.

• Cognitive Assessment: €600. A Cognitive Assessment can be completed as a standalone assessment or added to an Autism Assessment where clinically indicated or requested. Cognitive assessment is already incorporated into the A.D.H.D. Assessment and therefore does not attract an additional fee within that pathway. For a standalone Cognitive Assessment, the €600 fee is payable in full at the time of booking. An optional Parent Feedback Session is available following a standalone Cognitive Assessment for €200, also payable at the time of booking.

• Other combined assessments may include Autism and S.L.D., A.D.H.D. and S.L.D., or Autism, A.D.H.D., and S.L.D. These assessments are individually configured according to the referral question and assessment components required. The overall fee will be confirmed with the family in advance.

Instalment Payments:

For Autism, A.D.H.D., and combined assessments, the assessment fee can be divided into instalments over an agreed period. (Combined assessments pathways include Autism and A.D.H.D., Autism and S.L.D., A.D.H.D. and S.L.D.)

Parents are issued invoices at agreed intervals, typically over four months, although an alternative timeframe can be agreed where appropriate. The payment arrangement is established in advance so that families know when each payment will be due. The €200 Parent Consultation remains payable separately and in full at the time of booking.

Standalone S.L.D. and Cognitive Assessments follow the payment arrangements outlined above rather than the monthly instalment system. For S.L.D., €400 is payable when each of the two assessment appointments is booked. For a standalone Cognitive Assessment, €600 is payable at booking. Optional Parent Feedback Sessions for either assessment are €200 and are also paid at the time of booking.

The Psychological Report cannot be released until the assessment has been completed and all fees due have been paid in full. Where an agreed instalment arrangement extends beyond completion of the assessment, the report will be retained until the final payment has been received.

Some private health-insurance policies provide partial reimbursement towards psychological, developmental, or neurodevelopmental assessments. Cover varies substantially between insurers and individual plans. The type of assessment covered, amount reimbursed, lifetime or annual limits, excesses, referral requirements, practitioner requirements, and claims procedures can all differ. Some plans provide no benefit for these assessments.

Assessments at All Kinds of Minds are led by a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (P.S.I.). Chartered status means that the psychologist has met and continues to meet the professional requirements established by P.S.I. Chartered status can be verified through the P.S.I. Chartered Psychologist Online Directory. 

All Kinds of Minds meets the practitioner requirements specified by Laya Healthcare for the assessment types provided by this practice. Under Laya Healthcare's current rules, A.D.H.D., Cognitive/I.Q., Educational/Learning, Dyslexia, and Dyscalculia assessments may be completed by a Chartered Psychologist. These assessments at All Kinds of Minds are completed by a P.S.I. Chartered Clinical Psychologist. For Autism, Laya specifies a multidisciplinary team overseen by a Chartered Psychologist. Autism assessments at All Kinds of Minds are led by the Chartered Clinical Psychologist and include multidisciplinary input from a Speech and Language Therapist. This meets the practitioner specification described in Laya's current rules. View Laya Healthcare's current assessment requirements

Meeting an insurer's practitioner requirements does not mean that reimbursement is guaranteed. The child or young person must also have a policy that includes the relevant assessment benefit, and any other conditions attached to that benefit must be satisfied. For example, some current Laya plans provide a capped Childhood Development Assessment benefit, while other plans provide no cover for this type of assessment. Families should therefore check their specific policy rather than assume that an assessment is covered because it is being completed by an appropriately qualified practitioner. 

Vhi also includes Child Developmental or neurodevelopmental assessment benefits on some plans. The amount available depends on the individual policy. Vhi advises members to check their own Table of Benefits through MyVhi to establish exactly what is covered. Vhi information on checking cover and making a claim

Irish Life Health similarly provides a Child Development Benefit on some policies towards developmental or neurodevelopmental assessment. Again, the amount available and applicable conditions depend on the particular plan. Irish Life Health Child Development Benefit information

Before Booking an Assessment:

Parents should contact their insurer before booking if insurance reimbursement is important to them. The independent Health Insurance Authority comparison tool can also be used to compare benefits across Irish health-insurance plans. The H.I.A. advises consumers to confirm the full details and conditions of cover with the insurer directly. 

Receipts for Insurance Claims:

If you intend to make a health-insurance claim, please request a receipt from All Kinds of Minds for the relevant payment. Where an assessment is paid through instalments or across separate appointments, receipts can be provided for the payments made. Parents should check with their insurer whether they wish these to be submitted individually or together following completion of the assessment.

Insurers may require particular information to appear on receipts. Vhi, for example, states that a receipt should identify the patient, the date and type of service provided, the amount charged, and the practitioner's details. Vhi guidance on receipts and everyday claims

Laya also requires members to submit receipts when claiming eligible outpatient benefits and advises members to check the cover provided by their individual scheme before making a claim. Laya Healthcare claims information

Responsibility for establishing insurance cover and making a claim rests with the parent, guardian, or policyholder. All Kinds of Minds can provide appropriate receipts and information about the assessment and practitioner. However, the practice cannot determine whether an individual policy provides cover, obtain prior authorisation, interpret an insurer's policy terms, submit a claim on behalf of a family, or guarantee that an insurer will reimburse any part of the assessment fee.

Assessment fees remain payable in full regardless of whether a health-insurance claim is subsequently accepted, partially reimbursed, or declined. Families who intend to rely on insurance reimbursement are therefore strongly encouraged to confirm their individual cover with their insurer before proceeding.

Some assessment expenses may qualify for Income Tax relief as health expenses. Revenue generally provides relief for qualifying health expenses at the standard rate of Income Tax, currently 20%. Relief may be claimed for qualifying expenses paid for yourself, a family member, or another individual. 

Revenue – Health Expenses

Revenue's rules distinguish between different types of psychological and diagnostic expenses. Its current guidance provides that treatment from a psychologist or psychotherapist may qualify where the psychologist is a qualifying practitioner for the purposes of the legislation, or where the person has been referred by a qualifying practitioner for a diagnostic procedure. Revenue identifies a G.P. as an example of such a practitioner.

 Revenue – What Are Qualifying Health Expenses?

Revenue also separately provides for educational psychological assessments carried out by a psychologist for a qualifying child. A qualifying child is generally a person under 18 years of age, with provision also applying in certain circumstances to young people over 18 who remain in full-time education. 

Revenue – Additional Health Care Expenses for a Child

Families should not assume that every assessment provided by All Kinds of Minds will automatically qualify for tax relief. Eligibility depends on Revenue's criteria and the circumstances in which the assessment was undertaken. Where tax relief is important, families may wish to clarify their individual position with Revenue and, where relevant, discuss referral for the assessment with their child or young person’s G.P. before proceeding.

Tax relief can only be claimed on the portion of a qualifying expense that has not already been reimbursed, and is not due to be reimbursed, through private health insurance, the H.S.E., another public body, or another source. If an insurer reimburses part of an assessment fee, a Revenue claim can therefore relate only to the remaining qualifying amount actually paid by the person making the claim. 

How to Claim:

P.A.Y.E. taxpayers can claim qualifying health expenses through Revenue myAccount, either during the current tax year or through an Income Tax Return after the end of the year. Self-assessed taxpayers claim through R.O.S. as part of their annual Income Tax Return. Revenue currently allows claims for health expenses relating to the previous four tax years. 

Revenue – How to Claim Health Expenses

Receipts are required to support a claim. Receipts do not ordinarily need to be submitted with the initial claim, although Revenue may request them if the claim is reviewed. Receipts can also be stored electronically using Revenue's Receipts Tracker within myAccount. 

If you intend to seek tax relief, please request and retain receipts for payments made to All Kinds of Minds Assessments. 

Responsibility for Tax Claims:

Determining whether an assessment expense qualifies for tax relief remains the responsibility of the parent, guardian, or other person making the payment. All Kinds of Minds Assessments cannot determine an individual's eligibility for tax relief, interpret Revenue's rules on their behalf, calculate the relief available, or submit a tax claim.

Assessment fees remain payable in full regardless of whether tax relief is subsequently available. Families for whom tax relief is an important consideration are encouraged to clarify their individual eligibility with Revenue before proceeding.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments is an assessment-focused practice and does not provide psychological intervention, therapy, or ongoing post-diagnostic support beyond comprehensive feedback and a detailed report. Where psychological or mental-health support may be helpful, a child or young person’s G.P. can advise on appropriate public or private services.

Neurodivergent children and young people do not require psychological intervention simply because they are neurodivergent. Neurodevelopmental differences are not mental-health conditions, and many neurodivergent individuals experience good psychological well-being when their neurotype is understood, their needs are meaningfully supported, and unnecessary environmental barriers are reduced.

At the same time, neurodivergent individuals can experience co-occurring mental-health difficulties, and these should be recognised and supported in their own right. Persistent low mood, significant anxiety, trauma-related distress, or other emotional difficulties should not be dismissed as an inevitable or “typical” part of autism, A.D.H.D., dyslexia, or another neurodevelopmental profile. Neurodivergent children and young people have the same right to timely, appropriate, and equitable mental-health support as their non-neurodivergent peers.

For some neurodivergent individuals, mental-health difficulties may be influenced or intensified by a prolonged mismatch between their needs and the environments around them. Repeated misunderstanding, inadequate accommodation, sensory or social demands, exclusion, chronic stress, and experiences of adversity can all affect psychological well-being. This does not mean that mental-health difficulties are inherent to neurodivergence, but it highlights the importance of understanding distress within the context of the individual’s wider experiences and environment.

Where a neurodivergent child or young person has significant co-occurring mental-health needs, their G.P. should be consulted so that appropriate assessment, support, and referral options can be considered.

Valid consent is required before any neurodevelopmental assessment at All Kinds of Minds can proceed. The approach to consent reflects the H.S.E. National Consent Policy, as well as the particular requirements of this private practice.

For childrenunder 16 years of age, All Kinds of Minds requires the agreement of all identified legal guardians before proceeding with a planned neurodevelopmental assessment. This practice policy is intended to ensure that assessment proceeds with appropriate agreement about what is being requested and in the child’s best interests. 

Children should also be supported to understand and participate in the assessment process in a way that is appropriate to their age, development, communication style, and individual preferences.

Young people aged 16 or 17 years can provide their own consent for assessment. However, neurodevelopmental assessment at All Kinds of Minds requires relevant developmental and contextual information from a parent or caregiver. Given this, the young person’s consent will also be sought for appropriate parent or caregiver involvement in the assessment process. Where the young person does not consent to this involvement, the assessment cannot proceed within this practice.

Where Legal Guardians Disagree:

Occasionally, legal guardians may have different views about whether a neurodevelopmental assessment is appropriate or in the child’s best interests at the time it is sought. All Kinds of Minds requires freely given consent from all identified legal guardians before a referral for a child under 16 can be accepted.Where this consent is not available, including where legal guardians disagree about whether assessment should take place, the referral cannot be accepted and the assessment will not proceed within this practice.

Where consent or the authority to proceed with an assessment would need to be established through court proceedings or a court order, this introduces a level of legal and family-system complexity that falls outside the scope of this private practice.

All Kinds of Minds does not provide mediation, legal advice, legal opinion, or assistance in resolving disputes between legal guardians regarding consent.

Who Is a Legal Guardian in Ireland?

Legal guardianship is not determined simply by whether someone is a child’s biological parent or has day-to-day care of the child. The legal position varies according to family circumstances.

In common situations:

• Where a child’s parents are married, both parents are legal guardians. If they marry after the child’s birth, the father becomes a legal guardian. Separation or divorce does not, by itself, end either parent’s guardianship. 

• Where parents are not married, the mother is automatically a legal guardian. An unmarried father may also acquire guardianship automatically where the statutory cohabitation requirements are met: 12 consecutive months of cohabitation after 18 January 2016, including at least three consecutive months living with the mother and child following the child’s birth. 

• An unmarried father may also become a guardian through a statutory declaration agreed with the mother or by court appointment. 

• Other circumstances—including adoption, donor-assisted reproduction, same-sex parenthood, court-appointed guardians and other family arrangements—can also affect guardianship. The H.S.E. National Consent Policy provides a fuller summary. 

Parents and guardians are responsible for informing All Kinds of Minds of all individuals who hold legal guardianship and for providing accurate information regarding guardianship arrangements. Where guardianship is uncertain or disputed, appropriate documentary confirmation may be required before assessment proceeds.

For further information, please refer to the H.S.E. National Consent Policy.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments provides diagnostic assessment of neurodevelopmental differences, including Autism and A.D.H.D. where support needs are mild to moderate, and Specific Learning Disability (S.L.D.), including dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Assessment is comprehensive rather than diagnosis-specific. When autism is being considered, other neurodevelopmental profiles are also explored where relevant, including all presentations of A.D.H.D. and Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder as a possible differential diagnosis. Mental-health and other clinical presentations that may contribute to, coexist with, or provide an alternative explanation for aspects of the child or young person’s presentation are also considered as part of the diagnostic process.

When Other Services May Be More Appropriate:

The most appropriate assessment pathway depends on the individual child or young person’s needs and the broader clinical context.

• Significant support needs or possible Intellectual Disability: Where a child or young person has significant support needs, particularly where there are indicators of a possible Intellectual Disability or broader complex disability-related needs requiring interdisciplinary input, assessment through the H.S.E. Children’s Disability Services pathway is more appropriate. Children’s Disability Network Teams (C.D.N.T.s) are specifically designed to support children and young people with complex needs associated with disability and can provide access to multidisciplinary assessment, intervention, and ongoing support where indicated. 

• Moderate-to-significant mental-health needs or risk: Where a child or young person is experiencing moderate-to-significant mental-health difficulties, self-harm, or other safety concerns, these needs should take priority regardless of neurotype. In the first instance, parents should consult the child or young person’s G.P. or other appropriate healthcare professional so that their mental-health needs can be assessed and the appropriate service pathway identified. Where the threshold for specialist mental-health services is met, C.A.M.H.S. provides multidisciplinary assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe mental-health difficulties. Neurodevelopmental assessment can subsequently be considered through the appropriate pathway once those needs have been sufficiently assessed and supported. 

All Kinds of Minds Assessments is a small, specialised private practice providing neurodevelopmental assessments. Neurodevelopmental assessment is most useful when a child or young person is sufficiently settled and supported to participate meaningfully in the process.

The presence of emotional or mental-health needs does not, in itself, mean that neurodevelopmental assessment is inappropriate. However, where there are significant current mental-health needs or safety concerns, these needs require appropriate assessment and support before a neurodevelopmental assessment proceeds with this private practice.

This may apply where a child or young person is experiencing significant emotional distress or self-injury, or thoughts, plans, behaviours, or circumstances that raise substantial concerns about their own safety or the safety of others. The main consideration is whether the child or young person’s current needs require more immediate or ongoing support, or are likely to affect their ability to participate safely and meaningfully in the neurodevelopmental assessment process.

Where significant mental-health concerns are present, the first step should be to contact the child or young person’s G.P. The G.P. can consider the nature, duration, severity, and impact of the difficulties and advise on the most appropriate pathway. Depending on the nature and level of need, this may include the H.S.E. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (C.A.M.H.S.).

Prioritising significant mental-health or safety needs does not rule out a later neurodevelopmental assessment. Once these needs have been assessed and meaningfully supported, assessment can be reconsidered where it remains clinically appropriate and the child or young person is sufficiently supported to participate meaningfully in the process.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments does not provide emergency, crisis, or ongoing mental-health services. Emails are not monitored for urgent safety concerns and should not be used to communicate information requiring an immediate response. If a child or young person requires urgent help, please attend the nearest Emergency Department and contact their G.P. for appropriate follow-up.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments is not a child-protection or safeguarding service. Where there are concerns that a child or young person is experiencing or has experienced abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other harm, these concerns require attention through the appropriate statutory services and may mean that a private neurodevelopmental assessment is not appropriate at that time.

The Clinical Psychologist and Speech and Language Therapist are mandated under the Children First Act 2015 and has professional and legal responsibilities in relation to child protection and welfare. If concerns arise or relevant information is disclosed during any stage of contact or assessment, these concerns will be considered in accordance with Children First and the Clinical Psychologist will take whatever action is required. This may include making a report to the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). Mandated persons are legally required to report to Tusla where the statutory threshold is met, and Tusla also advises that reasonable child-protection or welfare concerns should be reported even where they do not reach the threshold for a mandated report. 

Where appropriate, concerns will ordinarily be discussed with the child or young person’s parent or guardian. However, confidentiality cannot be maintained where information needs to be shared in order to fulfil child-protection responsibilities, and it may not always be appropriate or safe to inform a family before a report is made. Tusla specifically advises that families need not be informed where doing so could increase risk to the child, interfere with Tusla’s assessment, or create a risk to the person making the report. 

Information about recognising and reporting child-protection or welfare concerns is available from Tusla – Reporting a Concern About a Child. Further information about the responsibilities of mandated persons is available from Tusla – Mandated Persons.

All Kinds of Minds Assessments is a clinical assessment practice and does not undertake forensic, court-directed, or court-related assessment work. This includes Section 32 and Section 47 reports, Section 27 reports in child-care proceedings, child-welfare reports, voice-of-the-child reports, parental-capacity assessments, and other assessments commissioned to inform family-law or child-care proceedings. The Courts Service provides further information about the different types of reports about children used in court proceedings. 

Families who require an assessment or report for legal proceedings should discuss this with their legal advisor. The P.S.I. Chartered Psychologist Online Directory may also be used to identify a psychologist whose professional scope and experience include the particular type of assessment required. P.S.I. notes that individual psychologists are responsible for practising within their own areas of competence. 

All Kinds of Minds does not provide written submissions, opinion letters, addendum reports, or other professional opinions for the purpose of family-law proceedings. Reports issued by this practice are prepared for diagnostic understanding, clinical formulation, educational planning, and the identification of appropriate supports. They are not forensic reports or expert-witness reports and are not prepared for use as evidence in legal proceedings.

Where there are active family-law proceedings, ongoing separation or divorce proceedings, or unresolved disputes concerning guardianship, custody, access, contact, or other parenting arrangements, a referral to this private practice will not be accepted. These circumstances can introduce substantial legal, relational, and contextual complexity into an assessment, including differing accounts of the child’s presentation and the possibility that clinical information may subsequently become part of an ongoing dispute. This falls outside the scope and purpose of the assessment service provided by All Kinds of Minds.

This boundary is intended both to protect the integrity of the assessment process and to keep the child or young person’s clinical needs separate from ongoing legal disputes. Where neurodevelopmental assessment is required while family-law proceedings or significant family conflict remain active, the appropriate H.S.E. or statutory pathway, or a suitably qualified professional with expertise in forensic or family-law assessment, should be considered.

Once legal proceedings have concluded and the family circumstances are sufficiently settled, a new referral to All Kinds of Minds may be considered, provided the usual eligibility and consent requirements are met.

Within a private assessment-focused practice, the role of the Clinical Psychologist is to develop a clear understanding of the child or young person’s neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and/or learning profile, including their strengths, differences, functional needs, and any accommodations or supports that may be helpful. The role does not extend to providing educational or career guidance, teacher consultation, or directing the implementation of supports within a school.

Assessment reports can provide important evidence to help parents, young people, and schools understand educational needs and to inform appropriate planning and accommodations. Recommendations are made on the basis of the assessment findings and are intended to support meaningful access, participation, and learning.

However, recommendations made within a psychological report do not create an automatic entitlement to a particular educational support or accommodation. Decisions about the supports that can be provided, how they are implemented, and how they are reviewed remain the responsibility of the school and, where relevant, the appropriate educational bodies and schemes.

Schools in Ireland ordinarily identify and respond to educational needs through the Department of Education and Youth’s Continuum of Support framework, with additional guidance and support available through the National Educational Psychological Service (N.E.P.S.) and the National Council for Special Education (N.C.S.E.).