- Our clinicians are highly-trained, pediatric neuropsychologists, most trained by Dr. Helmus and all of them employed exclusively by this practice. Collectively, they bring many, many years of experience to bear in thoroughly evaluating even the most complex and challenging conditions. By nurturing collegiality and the open exchange of information between longtime colleagues with different specialties and interests, we assure that the best and most current practices are embraced by all.
- We have developed a set of protocols, standards and shared values that insure the quality, consistency and reliability of the work we do, which we fully stand behind. Culture counts! We have also cultivated a network of professional connections that affords high-level access to the people in all fields who can really make a difference in the life of your child
- We sponsor weekly staff training seminars and periodic, full-day workshops featuring guest experts addressing topics of interest. These advanced training sessions are in addition to the continuing education courses that psychologists are required by the State of Massachusetts to attend as a condition of licensure, which we subsidize.
- Our clinical and administrative staff members are uncommonly well coordinated, acting in concert to provide the smoothest, least stressful, most efficient and productive experience for you and your child. We encourage you to seek out information about us, about the quality of our work and the satisfaction of our clients.
- We listen, respectfully. We know a lot about neuropsychology; you are the best expert on your own child and family.
Neuropsychological Evaluations
Comprehensive evaluations are generally requested in order to better understand why a child, teen, or young adult may be having difficulty meeting age-appropriate demands in school, the community or at home or to monitor a young person’s progress and course of development. NESCA’s comprehensive neuropsychological testing provide a highly-detailed description of an individual’s developmental status, thinking patterns, and learning style based upon a very careful integration of findings from developmental history, observations by parents, family members, teachers and clinician(s), and data from NESCA’s own testing. These evaluations, which seek to paint a recognizable portrait of the whole person, assess the underlying reasons they may be struggling academically, socially or emotionally and offer parents, family members, teachers, and providers a set of tools for supporting the individual’s development.
Five Good Reasons to Choose NESCA
Adult Neuropsychological Evaluations
NESCA offers adult neuropsychological evaluations to clients – often parents of pediatric clients – who are struggling with attentional, emotional, and social challenges, including concerns related to ASD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. All of the neuropsychologists at NESCA who provide adult evaluations are fully credentialed and licensed to work with adult and pediatric individuals. We do not evaluate and assess memory or psychiatric challenges.
Adult neuropsychological testing at NESCA offer a clear advantage over other practitioners because of our comprehensive approach, examining cognitive, academic, vocational, and social-emotional development – just as we have always done and continue to do for children, adolescents, and young adults. Unlike many solo providers or group practices that can only confirm a diagnosis, NESCA delves deeper to uncover the underlying causes of the presenting challenges. For instance, while an adult client may meet the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis, our whole-person evaluations can reveal if anxiety or an undiagnosed learning disability is actually the root cause. Conversely, through thorough evaluation, rating scales, and feedback from related professionals, we might uncover that the anxiety stems from struggling with ADHD.
By fully evaluating and untangling these intricate challenges, NESCA provides tailored recommendations for treatment that address not just the diagnosis itself but the causal reasons behind it, ensuring a more effective and holistic path to improvement.
Pediatric and adult evaluations are available in our Newton, Hingham, and Plainville MA locations as well as in our Londonderry, NH office. For more information, please fill out our Intake Form.
- Want more specific details about the neuropsychological evaluation process? Review our carefully curated Frequently Asked Questions!
Psychological (Projective) Testing
Projective testing focuses on social-emotional development and functioning and involves additional, specialized testing by a trained clinician. Projective tests are “performance-based” tests that requires the respondent to perform a task that has little structure, direction or guidance. These tasks might, for example, involve completing a sentence, telling a story, or describing inkblots (i.e. the famous Rorschach Inkblot Test). These evaluations are helpful in understanding why a child may be experiencing emotional distress or exhibiting significant changes in behavior or social functioning and are often utilized to learn more about an individual’s mood and personality. More information about projective testing can be found here: https://nesca-newton.com/projectivetests/.
School Observations
It is said that it takes a village to support a child, especially one who often struggles, despite best efforts to help them. Support from NESCA neuropsychologists does not start or stop at the office door. Neuropsychologists are available to observe students in their current classrooms and programs and will also assist students by evaluating any proposed educational settings.
Team Meetings and Due Process Participation
When a special education team reviews an independent evaluation, the team makes judgments regarding the qualifications of the evaluator and the appropriateness of the recommendations included in the report. NESCA neuropsychologists are experienced in attending team meetings as well as presenting and justifying the impressions and recommendations set forth in their evaluation reports. By participating in team meetings, experts are able to help teams problem-solve and implement report recommendations. Moreover, NESCA neuropsychologists have experience supporting families and schools in all types of due process procedures including mediation, settlement conferences, and hearings.
How to Select a Neuropsychologist to Evaluate Your Child
Choose a practice, not just a practitioner.
Obviously, the most important thing is that the clinician you choose to evaluate your child be professionally qualified and experienced. But you should also give serious consideration to your overall confidence in his or her practice, and how comfortable you feel within it, because ideally, you will be establishing a long-term relationship that will support you and your family throughout the life of your child. Do the size of the center and its culture encourage the development of that kind of relationship, or does it feel institutional or impersonal? Is there adequate privacy?
You may be unfamiliar with the evaluation process itself and have numerous questions about it, or about insurance, educational and other issues. Are they all answered graciously and to your satisfaction by a knowledgeable staff? Are your calls and emails returned promptly? Does the practice do its best to accommodate your scheduling and other requirements? Are you dealt with considerately, by administrative staff sensitive to the prospect that this may be difficult and demanding for you?
Is the practice clean, comfortable and easily accessible to local amenities, including shops and restaurants? Is there off-street parking? Does it offer public-access computers or Wi-Fi connectivity? How about access to a copier? You may be coming a considerable distance for your evaluation, but irrespective of your address, you will be investing a good deal of time in it. Your experience will be much more positive if you can readily make yourself at home and/or work productively while your child is being tested.
Visit the practice website. Its tone as well as its content may be revealing.
Evaluate the evaluators.
Google them. Read their website biographies. Are their credentials, experience and interests appropriate given the nature of your concerns? For some conditions, correct diagnoses and treatment demand special expertise. Do they have all of the appropriate testing instruments, and have they been professionally trained in their use?
Do you feel that you can establish a rapport with them, confident that they will care for your child as an individual?
Ask about their caseloads: how many clients do they see per month? Historically, insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield have judged a thorough neuropsychological evaluation to be a 16-hour unit, including a clinical intake interview, two appointments for testing and behavioral observation, collateral contacts as necessary (e.g., phone calls to doctors, therapists or teachers), a parental feedback session and subsequent preparation of a lengthy report with analysis of test results and detailed recommendations.
High-quality neuropsychological testing demand a good deal of time and thought; be certain that your clinician manages his or her caseload effectively, ensuring that adequate time is devoted to your child’s report.
In that vein, ask how long after your final appointment you will receive your report. It is completely reasonable to expect a commitment from your clinician that it will be delivered no more than 6-8 weeks after your final feedback session.
Ask also if the neuropsychologist with whom you have made your appointment, and whose name will appear on that report, will be present throughout the testing, or if instead, the tests will be administered solely or primarily by a post-doctoral trainee or technician. If the latter, ask about how extensively he or she will be supervised by senior staff.
You are investing in, and are entitled to, the skill, experience, clinical judgment and professional reputation of the neuropsychologist to whom you have been referred. Will he or she be able command the attention and respect of physicians, special educators, attorneys and other professionals who may become involved with your child?
Find out if the clinician evaluating your child is actually employed by the practice, or compensated as a contractor on a fee-for-service basis. Why? Because independent practitioners may not always be held to the same high standards of care as staff members of a practice which must stand behind the quality of their work. When you see someone on staff, you are assured that subsequent appointments will be with that same person in comfortably familiar surroundings, which by reducing anxiety may improve the efficiency of the evaluation and the accuracy of its results.
Will your doctor go the extra mile for your child, by making him- or herself available for classroom observations, participation in TEAM meetings, IEP reviews and consultation with other professionals, or by providing whatever other supports may be appropriate under the circumstances?
Recommendations are fruitless if there’s no one to ensure that they have been, or will be, effectively implemented. Be sure to ask. Some programs do not provide these critical ancillary services.
Ask around, and don’t be shy!
Don’t hesitate to ask your pediatrician or primary care physician, your educational advocate, attorney or other professionals involved in your child’s care for their recommendations. Most will have worked with several neuropsychologists or have had a chance to read their reports. Consult the various SEPAC websites and review their lists of member-recommended evaluators. If you have access to their ListServs, read the messages posted by users and ask questions of your own. Use the web resources available to you.
Finally, you may have a friend, neighbor or relative whose child has already been evaluated. Discuss their experience and its outcome with them. Positive word-of-mouth is the lifeblood of any good practice.
Evaluating a Neuropsychological Evaluation Report
At NESCA, our clinicians take particular pride in the quality and clarity of their written reports. These are essential tools for parents and teachers to use in supporting the development and educational progress of children with special needs. Here are some things you’re entitled to expect in a good one:
- It should be comprehensible and meaningful to non-psychologists in “painting a picture” of a child’s strengths and needs without excessive jargon;
- Current findings should be put in historical context and related directly to previous findings;
- The report should contain all test data as well as cogent interpretation of that data;
- A diagnosis should be stated clearly and substantiated by information from the evaluation regarding the child’s history, test findings and clinical observations;
- A statement of the developmental risks associated with a child’s profile is important;
- Its recommendations should be specific and backed up by information from the testing — e.g., “Given Bobby’s poor reading skills as seen on standardized testing and reported by his teacher, I recommend that he receive remedial reading instruction as follows:
- Systematic, phonetically-based curriculum with clear scope and sequence (e.g. Wilson, Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell);
- Instruction to occur at least 45 minutes daily individually or with 1-2 other students who have similar levels of need;
- Reading instructor to be properly trained and certified;
- Instruction to take place outside of the classroom;
- The evaluator should review the child’s IEP carefully and indicate whether the delivery of services appears to be appropriate; in some cases, a classroom observation is necessary;
- Strengths-based recommendations are particularly helpful (e.g., a photograph of a “clean room” for a visual learner; sequential step-by-step instructions for a verbal learner);
- Recommendations should be prioritized based on discussion with parents at feedback;
- The evaluator should assist with the implementation of his/her recommendations by speaking with other professionals, making appropriate referrals and, as necessary, being available for classroom observations, participation in Team Meetings and expert testimony at BSEA hearings.