This type of evaluation is the most comprehensive in nature. When your child is struggling in school, it could be due to a variety of factors. Perhaps there is an underlying learning disorder, but because they are so bright, they’ve managed to get great grades up until recently. Maybe they read slower than their peers, and school is moving more quickly than ever so they are now overwhelmed and unable to perform up to their potential. Or, perhaps your child has an undiagnosed attention disorder, that was missed by teachers (more often in females) and they are internalizing their struggles, which is causing acting out behaviors, being ostracized by peers, failing grades, and an uptick in anxiety and depression. In addition, when struggling with any mental disorder, various aspects of one’s cognition and academics affected. For example, emotional disorders can affect our memory, reasoning abilities, concentration, organization/planning skills, and our speed with which we can read, write, or solve math problems. As you can see, there is no simple answer for what might be going on for your child. Let us figure it out – this is what we do. This evaluation will reveal your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, whether or not they would benefit from certain academic accommodations or curriculum modifications, treatment interventions, and practical strategies they or you can employ at home.

This evaluation offering efficiently assesses for AD/HD. Often times, we see adults who have wondered their whole lives about whether they have AD/HD. Or, perhaps they saw a post or article on social media that resonated with them but were never formally diagnosed. Or conversely, sometimes we see patients who were given meds for AD/HD, but are now having identity crises - are they really AD/HD because they’re not seeing a benefit from their prescribed medication. In this latter case, we can assess your attentional system on and off of your prescribed medication. While this is an efficient (read, less expensive) evaluation, it is by no means less thorough. We will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the truth! This process inevitably gives patients the validation they were seeking - and they can work with their therapists to integrate this new diagnostic information into their self-concept.

This type of evaluation is for individuals who want to know which mental health diagnoses they have. Since there isn’t (yet!) a blood test to determine whether someone meets criteria for certain disorders, this would be the closest possible alternative. Sometimes, we see patients who have been in therapy for a long time, and are frustrated with either not improving, or not receiving formal diagnoses. Sometimes, a patient is referred from their treating physician (therapists, primary care doctors, and psychiatrists) because the provider cannot perform such an extensive assessment within the scope of their practice, yet they would like a better understanding of the patient’s cognitive, socioemotional functioning and personality. This detailed assessment can give a patient more insight into themselves, and provide more hope for a different path forward. And, the provider can be given more direction on how to efficiently treat their patient. This battery assesses for diagnoses such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, OCD, trauma and related disorders, bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders and/or personality disorders.

I frequently test individuals who have a sense that they are not going to be able to finish a standardized test in standard time. This could be due to emotional, cognitive, or academic factors. I am very well acquainted with the testing and reporting that is necessary to make a case for testing accommodations. Thus far, everyone I have tested for standardized testing accommodations have been approved! Although I also gained experience into the appeals process from my training days (if it ever came to that).