I provide intellectual, academic, neuropsychological and educational testing evaluations for children, adolescents, young adults, and college and graduate/professional students for a variety reasons, with specialities in the following areas:

Attention Deficit Disorders (ADHD)

Accurate diagnosis can be difficult in individuals with ADHD, as many ADHD symptoms overlap with issues such as giftedness, learning disabilities, mood disorders, anxiety, and other conditions. I provide comprehensive evaluations that make use of many information sources to best understand the whole person. Assessments may include testing (e.g. cognitive, intellectual, academic and attention tests), school observations, rating scale measures, developmental histories, and intake interviews with clients, parents, teachers, and/or significant others.  I also provide additional testing for individuals who previously had brief assessments for ADHD, and for those who’ve had shorter school evaluations. This may be done to help teachers and parents better understand their child’s attention issues, their impact on academic performance, and to provide more comprehensive recommendations.

Intellectual/Academic Giftedness

Identifying children who may be intellectually gifted or academically talented, including those who may be highly gifted, allows parents to better understand and meet their child’s needs. I have many years of experience completing giftedness assessments, with expertise in testing younger and older children. I take time to talk with parents about their child and the testing process, meet with parents to discuss results within a few days of testing, and provide a detailed report parents can share with schools, gifted online and summer programs, and healthcare providers.  For intellectual testing, I typically administer the Wechsler tests (WPPSI IV; WISC V) depending on a child’s age. If an alternative intellectual test is needed/requested, I may give other standardized intellectual ability tests. I am also able to administer individual achievement testing to better assess a child’s academic ability level and educational needs, provide additional information about school readiness, and help with subject or grade acceleration decisions. Selection of appropriate tests is made on an individual basis, and in consultation with parents and/or schools.

Dual Exceptionality 

Dual exceptionality refers to gifted children who have co-occurring issues such as ADHD, dyslexia, executive functioning issues, or other learning disorders. Dual exceptional children often go undiagnosed or can fall through the cracks, as their giftedness can mask co-occurring learning and attention issues.  They may be able to meet grade level expectations, while still under-achieving for their intelligence. This can result in misperceptions about a child’s capabilities, and failure to receive appropriate challenge for their giftedness and accommodations to compensate for possible difficulties.  I provide comprehensive testing evaluations to help parents and teachers better understand children’s needs so they can meet their full potential and better demonstrate their skills in school.

Learning Disabilities/Learning Differences

I provide comprehensive neuropsychological/educational evaluations to identify, clarify, and document learning disabilities,  learning differences, or learning style issues. I also evaluate for  and document performance anxiety issues that may impact academic functioning and test performance. This can provide information needed to qualify for school or standardized testing accommodations (e.g. extra time on tests).  Comprehensive testing provides parents with a better understanding of their child’s strengths and weaknesses, the ways they may learn best, and interventions or accommodations that may be helpful. I provide testing for high school, college, and graduate school students who need documentation for academic and standardized testing accommodations, and for children experiencing problems in their learning environment.

School Readiness

Testing information is helpful to parents or schools that need to make decisions about grade acceleration, grade retention, early or delayed admission to Kindergarten, or grade placement for summer/fall birthday children.  I have experience in evaluating children’s readiness for Kindergarten, appropriateness of grade acceleration/retention, and I consider standardized testing information along with school performance and maturational competence.

To learn more about about my testing evaluation and assessment services, or to schedule an appointment, please contact me.