Understanding a Neuropsychological Evaluation

A neuropsychological evaluation helps those working with a child understand how they learn, think, remember, and manage their emotions and behavior at home, in school, and in social settings. It provides a comprehensive picture of their cognitive (thinking), emotional, behavioral, social, and adaptive/independent functioning using standardized activities, observations, and input from parents, teachers, and other providers.

Your Evaluation Journey

These evaluations are recommended when there are concerns about a child's learning, attention, memory, language, emotional regulation, behavior, or overall development. They can also clarify issues such as learning differences, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, or other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Neuropsychological evaluations are also often requested for medical, genetic, or developmental reasons. For example, such evaluations may help others understand the potential impact on a child's functioning of:

• Premature birth or early developmental delays
• Neurological or genetic conditions (e.g., epilepsy, Down syndrome)
• Chronic medical illnesses (e.g., diabetes, cancer, cardiac conditions, or epilepsy)
• Effects of medical treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, or long-term medication use

In such cases, a neuropsychological evaluation can clarify how medical or genetic factors may be affecting a child's overall functioning and help guide treatment, educational planning, and ongoing monitoring.

By identifying both a child's strengths and challenges, the evaluation helps clarify why a child may be struggling and what supports can help, with recommendations that build on the child's existing abilities. The results guide educational planning, accommodations, therapeutic interventions, and, when appropriate, diagnostic and treatment decisions.

Our evaluation process includes three key stages: Intake, Evaluation, and Feedback.

We work with children and adolescents across a broad age range, with evaluations tailored to developmental level and referral concerns.

During the intake session, we talk with parents (and sometimes with the child or student) to gather background information about development, learning, behavior, medical history, and current concerns. This helps us select the right set of activities and ensures the evaluation is tailored to each child's needs.

We may ask for previous evaluations, school records (such as IEPs or 504 Plans), and medical reports.

Our goal: to design an evaluation that answers your questions.

Your child will participate in a variety of activities that help us learn about their:

• Problem-solving and reasoning skills
• Memory and learning skills
• Attention, organization, and self-regulation skills
• Language and communication skills
• Visual-spatial skills
• Academic skills (reading, writing, math)
• Emotional, behavioral, and adaptive and independent functioning

Parents, teachers, and sometimes the child also complete questionnaires to provide additional insight into the child's strengths and challenges.

Activities are conducted in a quiet, supportive setting with breaks as needed to maintain focus and comfort.

After the evaluation activities, we integrate all data—results, observations, and background information—to understand each child's unique learning and behavioral profile.

Our goal: to develop a clear and complete understanding of how your child functions across multiple aspects of functioning (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and adaptive/independent functioning).

After the evaluation, we meet with parents (and the child or student when appropriate) to review the results in clear, everyday language. We discuss strengths as well as areas where additional support may help. If a diagnosis is made, we explain what it means for learning, behavior, and daily life.

We provide practical, personalized recommendations for home, school, and community supports—such as accommodations, instructional strategies, or therapy referrals. With consent, results can also be shared with your child's school and medical providers to assist with treatment planning and care coordination. A detailed written report follows shortly thereafter.

Our goal: to ensure you feel informed, supported, and confident about next steps.