Frequently Asked Questions For Providers

A neuropsychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of a child's cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. It helps clarify diagnoses and provides recommendations for intervention, treatment planning, educational accommodations, and support services.

As a provider, you might consider referring a child for a neuropsychological evaluation when there are persistent or complex concerns about cognitive, academic, behavioral, or emotional functioning that are not fully explained by school-based testing, or prior clinical assessments. Such evaluations can help identify whether a child's difficulties are related to brain-based differences in development or functioning. They, too, can help provide diagnostic clarity, assess the impact of medical or developmental conditions on functioning, and guide targeted interventions across home, school, and clinical settings.

Common reasons you might refer include:

• Suspected learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or math disorders
• Attention and executive functioning difficulties, including suspected ADHD or challenges with focus, organization, or self-regulation
• Possible autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability
• Emotional or behavioral regulation issues that are atypical or unresponsive to standard interventions
• History of medical, neurological, or genetic conditions, including:
  • Epilepsy or seizure disorders
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Premature birth or low birth weight
  • Childhood cancer treatment and its treatments
  • Genetic disorders

What a neuropsychological evaluation can offer:

• A comprehensive understanding of cognitive, socio-emotional, and academic functioning
• Diagnostic clarification when appropriate
• Differential diagnosis when multiple concerns overlap (e.g., ADHD vs. anxiety, autism vs. language delay)
• Practical, individualized recommendations for treatment, therapy, and school accommodations
• Support in guiding referrals for services such as IEP/504 planning, behavioral therapy, or medication management

To support a thorough and targeted evaluation, please include any of the following relevant materials:

• Background developmental, medical, emotional, behavioral, social, and educational information
• History of prior services and evaluations
• Specific referral questions or areas of concern you'd like addressed

These materials can be uploaded through the referral form on our website.

No. Their primary role is evaluation. They do not provide ongoing therapy or prescribe medications, but they do collaborate with referring providers to ensure the evaluation leads to effective supports and can recommend appropriate resources for follow-up care.

Children, adolescents, and young adults ages 6 months until 24 years of age with:

• Developmental conditions (ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disability, global developmental delay, intellectual disability)
• Medical conditions (stroke, traumatic brain injury, cancers, epilepsy, premature birth)
• Genetic conditions (Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Turner's syndrome)

Psychoeducational Evaluation

• Typically conducted by school psychologists
• Often used to determine eligibility for special education services, accommodations, or supports under IDEA or Section 504
• Focuses primarily on how a child is performing academically and whether there is a significant gap between their potential (IQ) and current achievement
• Usually includes IQ testing and academic achievement (reading, writing, math)
• May touch on areas like attention or memory, but usually at a basic level, and in relation to school performance
• Does not typically include formal diagnoses of conditions like ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, or learning disabilities

Neuropsychological Evaluation

• Typically conducted by clinical neuropsychologists
• Focuses on how a child's brain is functioning across multiple domains—not just academic performance
• Designed to understand the underlying causes of learning, behavioral, or emotional difficulties
• Much more comprehensive than a psychoeducational evaluation
• Can lead to a formal diagnosis when appropriate (e.g., ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, intellectual disability)
• Neuropsychological evaluations are especially helpful when:
  • A child's struggles go beyond academic performance
  • The cause of difficulties is unclear despite previous interventions
  • There is a known or suspected neurological, developmental, or medical condition
  • More in-depth insights are needed to develop targeted support plans

Psychological Evaluation

• Typically completed by a clinical psychologist
• Focuses on understanding a child's emotional and behavioral functioning
• Often used to assess concerns like anxiety, depression, trauma, and behavioral challenges
• May include interviews, behavior checklists, and sometimes brief cognitive testing
• Helps identify and clarify behavioral health concerns and guide therapy or counseling support

Neuropsychological Evaluation

• Conducted by a clinical neuropsychologist, often with specialty training in brain-behavior relationships in children
• Provides a comprehensive assessment of brain functioning across cognitive, academic, emotional, and behavioral domains
• Includes in-depth testing of: Intelligence, Academic functioning, Attention and focus, Executive functioning, Memory, Language processing, Visual-spatial, Fine motor, Emotional/behavioral/social functioning, and adaptive functioning
• While neuropsychologists do assess emotional and behavioral functioning, these are viewed within the broader context of how the child's brain is working—especially when there are concerns related to developmental, neurological, or medical conditions

In short:

• A psychological evaluation helps answer questions about a child's emotions and behavior
• A neuropsychological evaluation looks more deeply at how the brain is functioning overall, and how that relates to learning, thinking, behavior, and emotions across settings

A pediatric neuropsychological evaluation is a comprehensive, multi-step process that provides detailed information about a child's cognitive, academic, emotional, and behavioral functioning. It is particularly valuable when there are complex or persistent concerns that require deeper insight to guide diagnosis, treatment, and educational planning.

Intake

The process begins with a clinical interview between the neuropsychologist and the child's caregivers. This session gathers key background information including:

• Developmental history
• Medical and neurological history
• Educational history and current academic functioning
• Behavioral, emotional, and social concerns

Parents are encouraged to share specific concerns, and relevant documents such as report cards, IEPs/504 plans, and previous evaluations are reviewed. This information allows the neuropsychologist to tailor the assessment to the child's unique profile and the referral questions.

Testing

Testing typically occurs over one or two sessions, totaling 4 to 6 hours, depending on the child's age, stamina, and complexity of concerns. The child is assessed one-on-one in a quiet, structured setting. The child completes a variety of tasks and activities designed to assess a broad range of skills including:

• Intellectual functioning
• Academic skills (reading, writing, math)
• Attention and concentration
• Executive functioning (e.g., planning, working memory, impulse control)
• Language processing
• Visual-spatial and motor skills
• Memory
• Social-emotional and behavioral functioning
• Adaptive skills (daily living and functional independence)

Breaks are provided to support the child's engagement. Teachers may be asked to complete rating forms or participate in a brief interview to provide insight into classroom functioning.

Feedback

Once testing is completed and scored, the neuropsychologist meets with the caregivers (and sometimes the child) to review. This feedback session includes an explanation of:

• The child's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral profile
• Any diagnoses supported by the data (e.g., ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder)
• How the child's strengths and vulnerabilities may impact daily functioning
• Practical, individualized recommendations for supports and interventions at home, school, and clinical settings

With parent or guardian consent, the neuropsychologist may also consult with other providers to share key findings and recommendations. A comprehensive written report is provided, which can be used to support:

• School-based services (e.g., IEP or 504 planning)
• Therapy or behavioral interventions
• Medical treatment or medication management
• Referrals to other specialists, if needed

As a provider, your involvement supports a more accurate and useful evaluation. You help clarify concerns, share relevant history, and collaborate on next steps.

Before the Evaluation

• Refer the child based on observed concerns (e.g., learning, attention, emotional, or developmental issues)
• Share relevant background (medical, developmental, or treatment history)
• Help define the referral question

During the Evaluation

• You may be asked to provide input to help interpret findings in context
• Collateral information from providers can be especially helpful when medical, neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, or therapeutic concerns are present

After the Evaluation

• With parent consent, the neuropsychologist may share key findings and recommendations
• You may help implement recommendations (e.g., adjust treatment, refer to other services, or support school planning)
• Ongoing collaboration ensures continuity of care

Following testing and report completion:

• A detailed written report is provided to the family
• With consent, we share the report or summary directly with referring providers, schools, or other professionals involved in care
• Feedback sessions are held with families to explain findings and recommendations

The goal of a neuropsychological evaluation is to understand how a child's skills are developing compared to other children their age. To do this, neuropsychologists use something called normative data—this is information gathered from a large group of children who are the same age and often from similar backgrounds. This group serves as a baseline or "norm" for comparison. By looking at how most children in that age group perform on various tests, the evaluator can determine if the child's scores fall within the expected range or if they are significantly higher or lower. This helps identify specific strengths or challenges and provides valuable information to guide recommendations, such as what types of supports might be needed in the classroom or what therapies could benefit the child.

We assess for a wide range of neurodevelopmental and emotional-behavioral conditions, as well as we evaluate how genetic or medical conditions may be affecting a child's functioning. Our evaluations can help clarify or support diagnoses such as:

• ADHD and executive functioning challenges
• Learning disabilities, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Intellectual disability or global developmental delay
• Anxiety, depression, and other emotional or behavioral concerns

We also assess the neurocognitive impact of known medical or neurological conditions such as:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Epilepsy
• Prematurity or low birth weight
• Childhood cancer and its treatments
• Genetic disorders

In these cases, while we do not diagnose the underlying medical condition, we help determine how the condition may be affecting attention, memory, learning, behavior, or emotional regulation — and provide recommendations for support and intervention.

A neuropsychological evaluation can be valuable even when services are already in place for several reasons:

• Provides a detailed understanding of how the child learns, processes information, and manages emotions to ensure current supports match their needs
• Acts as a tool to monitor progress over time and evaluate the effectiveness of existing interventions
• Identifies subtle learning difficulties or emotional challenges that may not be obvious despite current supports
• Helps clarify overlapping symptoms and supports accurate diagnosis for cognitive, memory, attention, or learning issues
• Offers clear, objective data that can strengthen advocacy during school meetings and support requests for additional or adjusted accommodations
• Guides future planning, especially during key transitions (e.g., moving to middle or high school), by informing decisions about supports, classroom environment, and therapy options
• Monitors cognitive effects of medications or medical treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, antiseizure drugs)
• Assesses baseline functioning before medical interventions like brain surgery are conducted

Not necessarily. Schools determine eligibility for an IEP or 504 Plan based on federal and state education criteria. However, the neuropsychological report can provide critical documentation to support a child's eligibility discussions and intervention planning.

No; only with parent or guardian consent. The report is considered private health information, so it is not automatically shared with the school. Parents may choose to share the report with other providers to advocate for supports and accommodations. Neuropsychologists typically encourage families to share the report with other professionals involved in the child's care to support continuity of services and ensure that recommendations are consistently implemented across settings.

You might say:

A re-evaluation may be recommended in the following situations:

• If there is a noticeable change in the child's functioning
• Before major school transitions (e.g., moving to middle or high school)
• When new concerns about learning, behavior, or emotions arise
• If the child continues to struggle with learning despite ongoing interventions and supports over an extended period