Psychological Testing & Evaluations
Signs Your Child Could Benefit from Neuropsychological Testing:
Struggles with Learning – Difficulty with reading, writing, math, or overall academic performance despite effort and support. Strong abilities in some areas but significant struggles in others, suggesting uneven cognitive development.
Attention and Focus Issues – Trouble staying on task, following instructions, or completing work, possibly indicating ADHD or other attention disorders.
Behavioral or Emotional Challenges – Anxiety, depression, aggression, or emotional regulation difficulties that interfere with daily life.
Social Difficulties – Trouble making or keeping friends, understanding social cues, or engaging in age-appropriate interactions.
Speech and Language Delays – Difficulty with expressive or receptive language, leading to communication struggles.
Executive Functioning Struggles – Problems with organization, planning, problem-solving, or time management.
If any of these apply to your child, neuropsychological testing could provide valuable insights and guidance….
We provide evaluations for children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of psychological, developmental, and educational difficulties. Our Psychologist has specialized training and experience which allows her to quickly identify, target, and prioritize specific problem areas as well as offer therapeutic solutions and assistance with alternative therapies and collaborating with schools
🧠 Curious about Neuropsychological Testing and how it can benefit your child? Watch our latest video with Dr. Karen Surowiec, where she breaks down the process and explains its importance!…
Psychological and Psychoeducational evaluations involve a series of tests conducted with children or adults to answer important questions like diagnosing learning disorders, assessing intelligence (IQ), or understanding behavioral concerns. These assessments can uncover learning disabilities like Autism and ADHD and Autism may be affecting a student's academic performance and social behavior.
Understanding Neuropsychological Testing: Benefits, process, and difference from Psychoeducational evaluation.
In many cases, understanding how a child thinks and solves problems requires more than just asking questions and observing behavior. For a deeper insight, formal neuropsychological testing, conducted by trained professionals, is typically the best route. These evaluations can be used to create a comprehensive profile of the child, including the diagnosis of mood, anxiety, social, and behavioral issues, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, ADHD and Depression.
Early Intervention Matters:
For Children and adolescents, early intervention is key. Research has consistently shown that addressing and identifying difficulties early on, along with providing appropriate accommodation and treatment shows the most positive long-term outcomes.
Benefits & Functions of Neuropsychological Testing:
Securing Special Accommodations: Test Results can help secure special classroom arrangements, testing accommodations, or even specific school placements (e.g., 504, IEP, special education schools, extended time on standardized tests).
Identifying Learning Disabilities: Neuropsychological testing can uncover learning disabilities like dyslexia or developmental delays, such as Autism, which might negatively impact a child’s academic performance.
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: The evaluation identifies the areas where the child excels. They might also need improvement in cognitive/intelligence, academic/achievement, attention/concentration/executive functioning, language/communication, learning/memory, and visual-spatial skills.
Clarifying Diagnostic Questions: The evaluation helps in diagnosing mood, anxiety, social, and behavioral issues, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, ADHD and Depression.
Assessing Medical Impacts: Neuropsychological testing can reveal how medical conditions like epilepsy or traumatic brain injury (TBI) affect cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
Uncovering Personality Factors: It can identify personality traits or factors that might be negatively affecting learning and overall functioning.
Evaluating Interventions: The evaluation assesses the effectiveness of intervention and treatments, documenting any changes since the last evaluation.
The Testing Process:
Neuropsychological testing is a comprehensive process that requires specialized training and experience. The testing process takes a few weeks to a few months from start to finish, depending on the client's needs. This process includes:
Parent Intake: The evaluation starts with an in-depth interview with the parents or guardians to gather a complete history.
Collateral Information: The evaluator often talks with other providers and school staff (counselors and teachers).
Observation: The child would be placed in their natural environment and observed, which may include school or after-school activities.
Record Review: Medical records and prior testing reports are reviewed.
Test Selection and Administration: A battery of tests is selected and administered to assess various cognitive functions.
Scoring and Interpretation: The results are scored and interpreted to form a comprehensive understanding of the child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Feedback: The results and recommendations are provided to parents, teachers, and any other relevant parties.
Report writing: A detailed report summarizes the evaluation’s findings and recommendations.
Although these services are typically not covered by insurance, receipts are provided for potential out-of-network reimbursement. We can submit your claims electronically for you directly to your insurance company if you would like. In most cases, this expedites the process of meeting your Out-of-Network deductible and/or beginning to receive financial reimbursement.
Our Unique Testing Service:
Responsiveness: We work diligently to collect necessary information, administer tests, provide valuable feedback, and create comprehensive reports quickly. We continue to support our families throughout the process, recognizing that the journey can be overwhelming at times.
Comprehensiveness: Understanding that the best evaluations include the most relevant information, assess all necessary areas of functioning, and seamlessly integrate the information into a single narrative.
Solution-focused: We prioritize the treatments and interventions that are most important, avoiding overwhelming recommendations. We also offer referrals to trusted professionals to ensure continuity of care.
AUTISM is a developmental disorder that usually begins in early childhood and typically lasts a lifetime. With early detection and appropriate intervention, children diagnosed with autism can experience significantly better quality of life than those who are not diagnosed. Early and appropriate interventions means that your child has the best chance at learning appropriate behaviors early and the possibility of lessening the symptoms of autism over time. This can translate into more independence, improved school performance, and better relationships over the life span. Early assessment and intervention are critical.
If you suspect your child may have Autism, an evaluation and diagnosis is essential in understanding the disorder and how it affects people mentally, socially and behaviorally. A proper diagnosis is also necessary in order to develop a therapeutic plan to help the person create and implement effective coping strategies for social relationships, family and school.
What can I expect with an autism evaluation? Autism testing includes the following steps with evidenced-based measures:
Parent interview and administration of a structured parent interview
Child autism testing with a psychologist specialized toys and games (ADOS)
Cognitive testing with child
Parent questionnaire
Teacher questionnaires
Consultation (or data gathering) with schools, pediatrician, and related health personnel
Report writing
Feedback session with results and recommendations
Reasons to have my child tested for autism:
Individual Education Plan (IEP) and special services in school to improve learning
Initiate Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy
Determine whether an Occupational Therapy or Speech Therapy Evaluation is needed
Benefits eligibility and determination
Piece of mind by having a deeper understanding of my child's challenges
Access to community services, supports, and benefits