Dr. Miles-Mason provides neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with a wide range of learning, emotional, and developmental challenges.
What is a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment that describes how your child thinks, learns, and manages his/her emotions. It provides a profile of your child’s strengths and his/her vulnerabilities that impact behavior at home, school, and in social settings with other children.
Neuropsychological testing involves the use of paper and pencil, computerized, and hands-on tests to measure different areas of cognition or skill such as attention, language, reasoning abilities, memory and learning, visuospatial processing, “IQ,” problem solving, fine motor skills, processing speed, academic skills, and social emotional functioning. By measuring these different areas of cognition or brain function, a neuropsychologist provides a detailed profile describing how your child processes information and learns.
Based on this profile, in-depth recommendations are made to support your child’s development. This typically includes specific interventions and therapies to address challenges and help your child thrive. These recommendations are individualized to your child and are intended to be a “road map” that serve as a plan to highlight your child’s talents and strengthen areas of vulnerability. Parents can use neuropsychological reports to help them secure needed services with your child’s school team. This can include advocating for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504 Plans and an array of supports (e.g., academic interventions, counseling, speech/language therapy, etc.).
Parents who seek an evaluation are often wondering if their child has a specific disorder based on the difficulties he/she exhibits (e.g., Dyslexia, other learning disorders, Autism, Anxiety Disorder, etc.). A neuropsychological evaluation will clarify if a diagnosis is appropriate and what interventions and supports are needed to address these challenges.
Who Would Benefit from a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
Students undergo neuropsychological testing when they are struggling in some area of development such as academic/learning, behavior/emotional functioning, social skills, or adaptive, everyday living abilities.
An evaluation can be helpful when for children who:
- Experience difficulties learning basic skills such as reading, writing, or mathematics
- Experience difficulties retaining taught information, process information slowly, or have trouble retrieving information
- Have difficulty staying focused and on task in school or at home
- Appear to be underachieving relative to their potential
- Experience delays in development and struggle to acquire age-typical skills
- Are struggling in school or on standardized tests
- Experience difficulties with social relationships
- Experience emotional challenges that are interfering with their daily functioning
- Struggle to understand and communicate information clearly
- Have a medical or neurological condition or have experienced a concussion
- Are already receiving services at school or privately but do not seem to be progressing
- Have already received a neuropsychological evaluation and are being reassessed to track progress and skill development
What Does the Evaluation Process Involve?
The evaluation includes a battery of paper-and-pencil tests, computerized tests, and hands-on tasks that are completed in a 1:1 setting with Dr. Miles-Mason. This information is integrated with reports from parents, teachers, and other professionals, your child’s developmental history, and available school records to produce a comprehensive picture of your child’s functioning.
- Evaluations are comprehensive in nature and measure skills in several areas, including:
- General Intellectual Ability
- Language Skills
- Attention
- Executive Functions (e.g., working memory, inhibition, impulse control, problem solving skills)
- Learning and Memory
- Visuospatial Skills
- Fine motor Coordination and Planning
- Social-Emotional Functioning
- Academic Tests (e.g., Reading, Writing, Mathematics)
Dr. Miles-Mason individualizes the assessment process to according to your child’s age and unique developmental needs, choosing specific tests to help gain a full picture of your child’s cognitive and behavioral functioning.
What Happens During an Evaluation? The evaluation consists of three parts, the intake consultation, the testing day, and the parent feedback appointment.
Intake: The first step of the process is a parent consultation appointment where you will discuss all the concerns and questions you have regarding your child with Dr. Miles-Mason. She will ask you to complete questionnaires and a history form to gain information about your child and bring copies of any previous evaluations your child has undergone (e.g., school assessments, neuropsychological evaluations) as well as relevant medical records.
Testing Day: Your child will meet with Dr. Miles-Mason for a full-day, one-on-one, in-office appointment when the testing is administered. Tests include a combination of paper-and-pencil, computerized, and hands-on activities. Depending on the age, processing style, and attention level of your child, testing can also be broken up over multiple days to prevent fatigue.
Feedback: Dr. Miles-Mason will meet with you approximately two weeks after the evaluation is completed. She will provide you with detailed information about your child’s profile and with specific recommendations that are designed to support his/her development and success. This meeting is an open-ended conversation, which provides you with time to ask any questions you have. A written report will then be sent to you following the feedback.
The feedback and report are intended to serve as a “road map” that gives you critical information regarding your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, their areas of need, and the supports he/she requires to succeed. The report will provide detailed information regarding the services, supports, and accommodations Dr. Miles-Mason recommends for your child.
Who Performs A Neuropsychological Evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation is performed by a neuropsychologist. This provider is a licensed clinical psychologist who has completed a two-year fellowship in neuropsychology. Neuropsychologists have specific training in understanding brain-behavior relationships. In other words, how brain functioning impacts how we think, learn, feel, and relate to others. Pediatric neuropsychologists specialize in working with children and adolescents.