NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL & EDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONs

Neuropsychological and educational evaluations assist with uncovering individual differences in learning, cognition, and behavior. These diagnostic evaluations provide critical information that is necessary for effective educational and psychological treatment planning.

Neuropsychological and educational evaluations typically assess the following areas: 

• reading, mathematics, and written language skills;
• attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity;
• information processing abilities including sensory and motor skills, memory, and executive functioning;
• mood, personality, and behavior;
• nonverbal and social problem-solving; and
• high ability and/or giftedness.

EVALUATION METHOD

The evaluation method is comprehensive and consists of several steps. It can be broken down into three main phases: 

Interview

The interview session is typically scheduled for 1-2 hours.  During the interview session, Dr. Carbone and her clients review important background information including medical, educational, social, and family history. During this phase, it may also be necessary to conduct interviews with educators or other professionals who may already be working with the client. 

Test Administration (Standardized and Neurobehavioral Assessments)

Dr. Carbone customizes the testing phase to the client’s unique presenting needs and concerns.  The testing phase ranges from to 5-8 hours and is usually conducted across 2-3 sessions. During these sessions, Dr. Carbone works one-on-one with the client.  

Dr. Carbone utilizes standardized tests and procedures to assess cognitive abilities and academic skills (e.g., attention, memory,  reading, and executive functioning). She also employs less structured forms of assessment such as neurobehavioral examination, clinical observation, and play-based social skill interviews.

Although the administration of the various standardized tests follow a standardized process,  an individual’s functioning cannot be reduced to a simple set of scores. For this reason, Dr. Carbone conducts all aspects of the testing process herself rather than utilizing a psychometrician. This allows her to gather additional information about aspects of an individual's behavior and personality that may impact the outcome of the test results. 

Feedback

The final phase of the evaluation method is the feedback session. During this time, Dr. Carbone talks at length with the client (and/or the family) about the results.  The feedback phase may be a single session or extend over several sessions depending on client factors (e.g., complexity of the findings, interest in receiving additional feedback/education about the evaluation). The results  will also be presented in a report that will benefit the client and their treatment team.