How should I explain the assessment to my child?

Of course every child is different, but I usually recommend starting off by talking about some of the things that they’re great at and come naturally. For example, they may be sociable, charismatic, athletic, artistic, or empathetic. They may be skilled at building things, enjoy acting, singing, storytelling, science, or mathematics. It can also be a quality that makes them special that they may not recognize in themselves such as courage, compassion, sensitivity, leadership, or a love of animals. 

Then frame the experience around understanding all of their unique strengths and how they learn best. To make the process relatable and actionable for your child introduce an analogy.

For example, you could ask them to think about all the different vehicles on the road. A sports car is built for super-fast speed on a smooth track, an off-road truck is built to handle bumpy, muddy hills, and an electric car runs on quiet, constant power. None of these engines are 'better' than the others - they just handle the road differently. 

Right now, school can sometimes feel like driving your car on a road that wasn't built for your specific engine, which makes driving a lot harder than it needs to be.

You're going to do some puzzles, play some games, and do other activities and that will be like bringing your car in for a full engine diagnostic. We’re going to pop open the hood and see exactly how your brain’s engine is built.

Once we figure out what kind of engine you have, we can use that information like a driver’s manual to help us - and your teachers - ensure that your car is driving on the right surface. We will provide tunes ups and other maintenance as needed and ensure the road is clear so you can perform at your best with less stress. 

How should I prepare them for testing?

Let them know that I’m a different kind of doctor. There won’t be any shots or uncomfortable tables to sit on. Instead, we’ll be doing different activities like games, puzzles, school stuff, and problem-solving on the computer so that we can work together to learn how their brain works. We will take breaks and they can bring their favorite snacks and an activity they might like to share. Most of all, let them know that I will try to make the process as much fun as possible and that they will have a chance to share anything they’d like me to know to make things easier.

What can we expect to learn from this process?

Depending on the type of evaluation your child is having, during the feedback meeting, I will review all of their test results and what they mean. You will learn about their strengths and challenges in different areas of functioning and how certain processes can break down and cause unexpected difficulties.

I will summarize my findings and explain your child’s learning style (if applicable). I may provide research and other information to help you understand unfamiliar terms or processes contributing to your child’s presentation. Finally, if appropriate, I will provide diagnoses, referrals to clinicians who can provide effective support, recommendations for their school around individualized education programs, 504 Plans, services and accommodations, recommendations to support your child at home, and helpful resources like books and organizations. (Please note that we cannot guarantee that your school will accept our findings and it’s often useful to check with them to identify the best way to move forward, which may include doing an assessment with the district instead.)

If we involve the school or other professionals in the process, does that mean that they will see the report or get information about our child without our permission?

Absolutely not! Indicating that you would like the school, your child’s therapist, or other professional involved in the process on your HIPAA ROI form permits us to reach out with questionnaires, and to communicate with them via email or phone calls to learn about what they’re seeing in the classroom, treatment, therapy, etc. 

The report will yours and you get to decide who sees it. We will not share any information about the evaluation without your express permission.

What Is included in an assessment

The parent intake meeting where we will learn all about your child’s development and current presentation, questionnaires and communications with their teachers, and other clinicians you’d like us to work with (involving the school is up to you!), your testing appointments, the comprehensive assessment report, and the feedback meeting.

What are other Neuropsych Kids families saying about us?

We are very fortunate to receive emails from families after we see them as well as years later to update us on their progress. Some feedback we’ve received includes…

“They are in high school now if you can believe it, and they are thriving. They’re in mainstream classrooms with little support needed. They have close friends, and they are so much less stressed because of the help you provided. We cannot ever thank you enough.”

"Dear Dr. J, I had to write and tell you that A just got into her top choice college because of you and the opportunities you gave her to show what she knows without running out of time or feeling anxious. She feels confident and ready to go forward." 

And, “J is in middle school, and S is in high school now and they are doing so well. J is still with the therapist you recommended and they both have great grades and time to hang out and do things after school. Our family dynamic has changed without the fighting and ongoing stress that was our lives and we really wanted you to know that you changed our lives.”

For more parent feedback, please visit our Yelp page at: https://www.yelp.com/biz/neuropsych-kids-palo-alto-4

How do we get started?

Simply click the contact button below and tell us how we can help. We will send you an email with information about the process of doing an evaluation with us including the timing of our next available appointments, what each appointment will look like, pricing and codes to give to your insurance company to check your out-of-network reimbursement benefits, and more.

Thank you for visiting our website. We hope we get to meet you!