Maybe your child has a tough time planning, organizing, managing their time, and performing tasks that require executive functioning. Perhaps they’re failing to meet grade expectations in school and struggling to keep up with the development of their peers. Or maybe they’re unusually gifted and intelligent, performing at a level far ahead of other kids and making it difficult to fit in. You might suspect that they have ADHD, autism, giftedness, a mood disorder, or an intellectual disability.

On the other hand, maybe you’ve been having challenges related to social, behavioral, and executive functioning, and you’re wondering if you should seek an assessment. Perhaps you’re struggling to stay on top of work assignments and manage day-to-day obligations. Or maybe you’ve been feeling anxious or depressed and you want to get evaluated for a mood disorder.

Whether you want testing for yourself or your child, we encourage you to pursue a neuropsychological assessment with us. At MindWell NYC, our specialists provide comprehensive, in-depth neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults who are struggling to meet the demands of their environments.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders Are Incredibly Common In Kids And Adults

Millions of children, teens, and adults in the US suffer from mood disorders and neurodevelopmental challenges. Yet as common as these issues are, many people never get properly diagnosed—and others end up misdiagnosed. Many presentations are misunderstood, especially when there are co-occurring symptoms. For instance, people who have trouble paying attention are usually diagnosed with ADHD, yet inattention can also be a sign of anxiety, OCD, and many other conditions. On your own, it’s hard to piece all the symptoms together and tell if your struggles match one disorder instead of another.

This is why neuropsychological assessments are so vital. They offer the opportunity to look at a number of variables that are driving a person’s challenges. For example, if a student is struggling academically, an evaluation can help us assess if the student is experiencing anxiety in the classroom, weaknesses in processing speed or working memory, difficulty paying attention, or another cognitive or behavioral issue.

Without An Evaluation, It’s Hard To Find The Right Support And Resources

All too often, people with mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental challenges aren’t given proper education about their diagnoses. And without the right psychoeducation, it’s hard to know where to begin with treatment, since you don’t even know what you’re dealing with.

Additionally, many people lack access to vital interventions and resources and are unable to get connected with necessary accommodations. They often struggle to find communities that support them and wind up feeling misunderstood, judged, and confused.

An evaluation provides a stepping stone to in-depth psychoeducation, vital resources, and communities of love and acceptance. It’s a chance to get evidence-based recommendations and accommodations to ensure that individuals are able to succeed in their environments.

Neuropsychological Testing Can Help You Connect With Your Strengths and Gain Access To New Resources

During the evaluation process at MindWell NYC, you or your child can expect to learn more about your unique constellation of strengths and vulnerabilities. Our licensed psychologists will use standardized tests that are validated and research-based to assess various developmental domains such as memory, communication, cognitive functioning, language skills, visual-motor skills, and executive functioning.

The tests we provide are often deeply engaging, especially for young children who may have trouble sitting still for long stretches of time. Many evaluations are done digitally and include fun activities like puzzles involving numbers, shapes, and different visual patterns.

Our practice offers two different types of testing: neuropsychological and psychoeducational. Neuropsychological assessments evaluate current functioning across a wide variety of different domains and aim to identify the presence of autism, ADHD, giftedness, learning disabilities, and various mood and developmental disorders. Psychoeducational assessments, meanwhile, are narrower in scope and more focused on academic recommendations. They can provide an updated IQ score and an accurate snapshot of a client’s educational challenges. Our clinicians will help you figure out which assessment is best for you.

How The Evaluation Process Works

All assessments start with a thorough clinical interview. We’ll look at relevant school reports, current medications, prior evaluations, and general mental health history. If you’re seeking an evaluation for your child, you will generally meet with your child’s specialist alone for the intake session, although you won’t be present with your child during the assessment.

The testing process is typically done in two to three appointments that are three or four hours in length. We encourage you to bring any assistive devices or medical equipment you need, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc. You are also welcome to bring snacks and drinks, as there will be plenty of breaks throughout the day.

In total, an evaluation takes about six to eight weeks to complete from the initial interview until the feedback session is held. A final report will be given after the feedback session that has a full list of diagnostic impressions, recommendations, and accommodations. And as part of the evaluation process, we may collect observations from other professionals involved in you or your child’s care and education (with your consent, of course). Upon request, we may also conduct classroom observations to further inform our assessments.

In the end, our ultimate goal is to provide you with useful and clinically meaningful information about your struggles and a holistic picture of your strengths and vulnerabilities. We want to help you make significant growth and skills development and set you on the path to thrive in your current environment.

You May Have Some Questions About Neuropsychological Testing…

Will the results of the neuropsychological evaluation be confidential?

All information gathered during the evaluation process is entirely confidential, meaning that the results are only shared with the client (and the parent/guardian if the client is a child/minor). If you want to have your evaluator share the results with another relevant party, such as a teacher or family member, that can certainly be arranged, but we will only do so with your written permission.

What if there is something worrisome found in the results?

Many people worry that an evaluation will reveal an undesired diagnosis. As evaluators, we take great care to share the results of the evaluation in a way that ideally helps you feel validated, understood, and hopeful about the future. Our reports are designed to be digestible to the reader and free from too much clinical jargon and pathologizing language.

 Should I be concerned about passing or failing the test?

A neuropsychological evaluation is nothing like a school exam—you aren’t expected to “ace” it, nor should you be worried about failing it. The purpose is simply to understand how you process and utilize information—in other words, how you learn best. Your performance on tests will not impact your grades in school and won’t be shared with any outside organizations (e.g., admissions boards, workplace HR).

You Deserve Answers, Accommodations, And Support

Through our in-depth, comprehensive assessment process, you can expect to receive an accurate diagnosis, access new resources, and experience deeper self-understanding. To learn more about our approach to neuropsychological and psychoeducational testing, you can email us, schedule a free consultation, or call 646-809-5440.