Our Services

        What is a Neuropsychologist?

How people engage with their social and educational challenges depends a great deal on life experience. Also, people have skills that are neurologically determined. Neuropsychologists are highly trained to consider the neurological side and there is increasing evidence that attention, learning and (some) behavior disabilities have a significant brain function component.

Our Neuropsychological Services consists of a group of  licensed psychologists with extensive experience and expertise in evaluating learning, attention and behavior difficulties in children, adolescents and adults. The underlying premise of neuropsychology is that brain function affects learning, attention and behavior but we also consider the interaction of brain function with life experience.

Evaluations at the Neuropsychology Service typically include:

1. A comprehensive past history
2. Rating scales that help to identify strengths and weaknesses in the present
3. Testing that assesses general intelligence, language, visual problem-solving, attention, memory, social/emotional skills and academic achievement.
4. Our findings are summarized in comprehensive reports and we are committed to getting our findings to parents, schools and mental health professionals within two weeks after the final testing appointment. Typically, our reports contain recommendations for school accommodations and services, mental health (counseling) services and medical intervention.

A Positive Approach

• A learning difficulty that is understood can lead to better coping strategies. Services provided can become more effective.

• ADHD can hamper learning but it can also reflect spontaneity and creativity.

• Many artistic/creative people are sensitive and anxious.

• Discovering personal strengths boosts mood and self-esteem.

Getting Results

• Diagnostic evaluations to boost educational performance.

• Helping families when there are child and adolescent behavior difficulties 

• A detailed report that provides guidance for school services, counseling and medical support.

• Personal follow-up to review the findings and recommendations.

• Support and guidance regarding school team meetings, and meetings with medical and mental health professionals.

• Assistance with school choice (including college).

Children/Adolescents Referrals

Our referrals come from a wide variety of sources: Parents, mental health professionals, schools and social service agencies. Most of the referred children/adolescents have learning, attention or behavior difficulties that need further clarification in order to provide a more comprehensive treatment plan. 

Neuropsychological evaluations are diagnostic so that there is a better understanding of the causes of the learning, attention and behavior difficulties. School evaluations, in contrast, are not diagnostic (they are designed to determine if there is a need for special education services).

We also evaluate children/adolescents who have suffered some form of personal or physical trauma. For example, neuropsychological assessment might be useful if a child suffers a serious head injury or has witnessed a traumatic event.

Adults Referrals 

Many adults initiate neuropsychological evaluation on their own or in consultation with a mental health professional or a physician. Many adults have concerns about relationship patterns or their work performance due to attention difficulties so they want clarification regarding the severity of the problem and its origin. When an adult has suffered a head injury or a stroke, it can be important to document changes in memory, attention and reasoning. 

Neuropsychological testing can also assist in identifying patterns of strengths and weaknesses that help to differentiate Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and depression (and assist with treatment recommendations).

How Neuropsychological Evaluations Can Be Helpful

Neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful in understanding learning problems. Reading comprehension problems, for example, can stem from single-word decoding problems, language problems, and/or attention difficulties.  Some attention and behavior difficulties require a clearer perspective. For example, although ADHD is the most common cause of attention difficulties, one can have attention problems due to anxiety, depression and learning problems also. Other common diagnostic puzzles include: (1) social anxiety versus an autism-spectrum disorder; (2) normal moodiness versus Bipolar Disorder; (3) general cognitive delay versus a learning disorder. It can be important to identify the child/adolescent’s strengths. Particularly in older adolescents (and young adults), this can be useful in college and vocational decisions.  Neuropsychological testing can be useful in identifying forms of mental health treatment that can be most effective in dealing with a specific set of behavioral difficulties. Child psychiatrists, pediatric neurologists and pediatricians use test findings to help guide medication choice and management. Testing can help to establish a “baseline” so that the effects of education, mental health and medication interventions can be assessed.

Steps of the Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation at our offices always begins with a parent or adult interview. At this interview, we discuss the presenting difficulties, the past history and what interventions have been attempted so far. We generally ask parents to complete behavioral questionnaires.

The testing schedule can depend on the complexity of the clinical questions that need to be answered (and the amount of testing required). A typical evaluation would consist of two 2½ hour sessions.
There is a feedback session to go over the report and this usually takes place about two weeks after the final testing appointment.

Our evaluations are flexible so the assessment focus can be determined by the referral questions. There are ten possible areas:

1. general intellectual ability
2. language skills
3. visual/constructive skills
4. motor skills/processing speed
5. organization/planning skills
6. memory
7. attention
8. academic achievement
9. emotional regulation
10. social skills.

What to Tell Your Child/Adolescent

Information is power:  the more one understands the landscape of their brain (the way they learn and process information), the better they are able to navigate their world and advocate for themselves.  In addition,  the evaluation will help the adults who are involved in their lives provide the appropriate type of support.  For example, the evaluation will help teachers and parents understand his/her learning difficulty better, or the evaluation can guide the therapist to work more effectively.

Cost

The cost of your evaluation will be determined in the initial evaluation.  Our evaluations typically cost between $1500 and $3200. We do not accept health insurance.

We do not accept health insurance. The major insurance plans do not cover the costs of extensive evaluation sufficiently for private practitioners. School systems contract for our services, so this is another way to cover the cost of an evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do you help with reimbursement?

Yes. We encourage you to contact your health insurance company prior to the evaluation (some companies do not reimburse).

Do you help with obtaining services at school? 

Yes. We routinely communicate with schools by telephone and email. We go to special education team meetings also.

I worry about my child being “labelled.”

Diagnosis is an important part of a neuropsychological evaluation. We are sensitive to the fact that the variations in people can be very significant, so we strive to make a diagnosis in a larger context. We also try to focus on the positive, not just psychopathology. 

How to Contact Us

Ph:  978-806-6791

Email:  admin@elpisinstitute.com