Neurodevelopmental Testing

Our Neurodevelopmental Evaluation goes beyond the typical Psychological Evaluation. Not only does this evaluation assess personality, intelligence, and achievement; It also evaluates serious emotional disorders and determines if the individuals deficits are due to developmental deficits, emotional dysregulation or both. This evaluation is considered a “speciality” evaluation as it also evaluates various other disorders such as Autism/Asperger’s Disorder, Learning Disorders, Depressive/Aggressive Behaviors, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and various other cognitive and intellectual domains

Due to the complexity of the evaluation, the evaluation takes between 3-5 sessions to complete. Additional sessions may be warranted depending on the individual’s ability to complete the required testing in the respective timeframe. The process of the evaluation consists of a clinical interview and the completion of a series of standardized objective and projective measures such as questionnaires, ability ranking lists, surveys and checklists completed by the individual evaluated and, or family members and teachers-if the individual is a minor.

The results from the measures and the clinical interview are utilized to transcribe  the evaluation, render a diagnosis, produce treatment recommendations, and or provide treatment referrals. Within appropriate consent, this evaluation also allows review of legal, mental health/medical/substance use history and interviewing of “collateral contacts”. “Collateral contacts” can be practically anyone, such as daycare, family friends, employers, therapists.

Testing involves the use of formal tests such as questionnaires or checklists. These are often called “standard-referenced” tests. It simply means that the tests are standardized so that test takers are scored equally regardless of where they live or who administers the test. For example, a norm-referenced test of a child’s reading ability can be used to rank a child’s abilities compared to other children of the same age or grade level. Researchers have developed and evaluated norm-referenced tests that have been shown to be effective in measuring a particular trait or disease. 

Our Neurodevelopmental Evaluations  include several components, such as standard-referenced tests, informal tests and surveys, interview data, school or medical data, medical assessment, and observational data. The evaluator decides what information to use based on the questions asked. For example, assessments can be used to determine whether a person has a learning disability, is competent to litigate, or has a traumatic brain injury. They can also be used to determine whether a person would be a good leader or how well they can work with a team.

What To Expect: The initial appointment consists of a comprehensive clinical assessment, the next few sessions consists of testing ( intelligence, achievement, and objective/measures), the last session consists of the clinical interview. The testing and evaluation are scheduled in sessions according to test. Thus, test sessions may range from 30 minutes to two hours. The duration of the test is dependent on the participation of the individual and test time requirements. Due to the extensiveness of each test, psychometric tests are often scheduled on different days. The patient and parent must both complete the respective assessments and specific testing prior to the clinical interview. After all parts of the evaluation is complete, it takes between 30-90 days to complete. In some instances, it may take up to or more than six (6) months. This is determined by reports in waiting.