Neuropsychologists

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23 parent questions ▼
Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Neuropsych assesment for 3 year old

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    Mar 28, 2024

    I went through the archives and there are many responses for older kids so wanted to see if anyone had experiecne with the following:

    We need to have my 3 year old (or almost 3 year old) assessed for autism.  We suspect is he mild and want someone who is able to give a thorough and nuanced assesment for a child that young.  He is verbal but his language is closer to a 2 year old than a 3 year old.  We are also looking for someone who understands therapies well and can talk about which one would make the most sense of our child--not someone who assumes ABA is right for everyone (I am just starting my research but learning that it might be not the best fit and if it isn't, what is)

    Does anyone have experience with any of the following people working with younger kids:

    Amy Feldman at the Summit Center

    Carina Grandison

    Kristin Gross

    Lisa Greenberg?

    Mar 28, 2024

    Hi - we worked with Carina Grandison for an ADHD assessment at age 6 and she was excellent.  

    Apr 3, 2024
    Reply now  »

  • Need neuropsych for 2e (gifted reader) with dyslexia type problem

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    Jan 24, 2024

    Hi All,

    My daughters received some diagnoses from visual optometry centers (Rising Star in Marin and Visual Eyes in Pleasanton) demonstrating severe visual impairments. Do you know of any practitioner who can help get IEP services for this? She was in the top 1% for gifted reading but hasn't read a book in years and fallen way behind (but of course school says she's just fine) noone catches it in the IEE or school testing process. I just need someone who is skilled with this more complex kiddo. I've read through older posts but they are too old and those practitioners listed (Greenberg, Raskob) are fully booked this year of 2024.

    Thanks so much, 

    Mary :)

    Jan 24, 2024

    I have recommended this before, but the Binocular Vision Clinic at UC was wonderful. They did some related testing and  gave us some documentation for a 504, but we ended up getting a full evaluation through the psych department. The vision training made a huge difference for our child. A good evaluation also might make other suggestions like audiobooks, or using a computer for writing projects.

    Jan 24, 2024

    1. Contact DREDF right away for the IEP/504 support.

    2. The diagnosis from the visual optometry centers (although I am not sure if medical doctors are involved) should be enough grounds to get either an IEP or 504, IMHO. I don't know if you need a neuropsych at this point.

    3. You don't say how old your child is, but I would be very worried about the not-reading, not even for pleasure. Can you get her into audiobooks as a bridge back into literature?

    Jan 25, 2024

    My daughter got an evaluation at the UC Optometry clinic, in 3rd grade, which is now 8 years ago.  Their report that identified the main issue helped with getting the public school to do a free evaluation -- the school would be required to do it in any event, but it made things roll along easier.  And the clinic gave us materials to work with each evening to help with her visual tracking issues.  My daughter needed a 504 (accommodation but the same classwork).  When the school did their evaluation they also found very slow processing speed and limited working memory, as well as attention issues, in addition to the vision problems.  I remember she didn't used to like museums because she couldn't read the little information cards by each picture, but now she is into it.

    Jan 27, 2024

  • Full neuropsych evaluation advice

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    Sep 9, 2023

    Hi there! We have a 6 year old boy who just started 1st grade. I think he’s gifted; my wife thinks he has ADHD or ASD (I strongly disagree). Where’s the best place to evaluate him? I’m thinking a non pathological, thorough full neuropsych place. I heard the Summit center in Walnut Creek could be good. Anyone used their service? Also - for those who have done a full neuropsych - any lessons learned? Tips? Does anyone regret having done one?

    Sep 9, 2023

    I (parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD by Kaiser) would start with your pediatrician and lay out what your wife has observed, and ask for suggestions on next steps. Jumping to a full neuropsych for a 6 year old might be overkill.

    Sep 11, 2023

    He could be both. https://childmind.org/article/twice-exceptional-kids-both-gifted-and-ch…

    Sep 13, 2023

    We had a very very positive experience with Dr. Jessica Lipkind. We liked how much she involved the child in the process, so it wasn't just happening to them, but they were a partner. If your child is in public school, you can request an IEP assessment to begin with, although it's not diagnostic it might give you some insights to decide the next steps for your family. It's very expensive out of pocket, even with private, generous insurance. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    Hi there, very satisfied Summit Center client here. If you can manage the fees, they are excellent. But before that, it might be best to have an initial consult/discussion with Dr. Dan Peters at Summit. We did this when our kid was 8, and then several months later went for the full neuropsych. Dr. Dan could hear your observations, talk through optimal timing/age for an eval, think through why or whether to do one.

    We have zero regrets, and later did one with our older kid. In neither case did we get wildly surprising information, but it seriously fine-tuned our understanding and gave us way better grounding in how to move forward thinking about home life and school life. Summit produces very lengthy reports. 

    Tips... how it goes and how positive an experience it is for your kid depends a lot on connection to the evaluating clinician. So I would take the time to discuss best fit, than taking whoever has a spot first. Dr. Dan is also going to have the best overview of everyone working in the clinic, if you decide to go with Summit. In our case, the clinician came out and immediately asked our kid if maybe he could assist with solving this little puzzle, because she was having trouble doing it. She did this because we primed her about his interests and communication style. We also prepped him with a mini video she sent of herself in her space, saying hi and showing the room, etc. So, making sure the clinician you choose has, in addition to the millions of forms you are gonna fill out, some specific details about how to best connect 1:1 with your kid, might go a long ways towards his willingness to do the tasks requested. I would also make sure you are scheduling the sessions on low-key days, and maybe including a treat or small fun thing to do after each time. We also planned a prize, a stuffie he was lusting for, for when it was all complete. Bribes don't go very far in our family if the task itself is awful, but it was helpful padding for getting started and he ended up rather enjoying the process--stimulating, novelty, etc.

    The thing about pediatricians, in my experience (responding to another responder) is they are going to vary SO widely in their knowledge and responsiveness, how neurodiversity-affirming they are, and how much, for example, their view of ASD is super medicalized. Kaiser also has no interest in twice exceptionality or giftedness. (We did have ADHD and ASD evals with them, but they were in siloed departments and ultimately not very useful.)

    In terms of your varying thoughts on diagnoses and how to picture your kid's traits, I also went through stages of wonderings and research. Wondered about giftedness at age 4, ADHD at age 5, and ASD at age 6. Around age 6/7, started researching twice-exceptionality. In early Covid, we were all at home and gathered much more data, which proved super useful when we were able to finally get to Summit in person at age 8.

    In the end, we ended up with diagnoses of all of the above! Plus a couple other things. All this learning was new to me, but my instincts were all correct. But...a lot of intense or sensitive qualities can look like any or all of these diagnoses.

    It's certainly important to pinpoint why you need to know, and why you need to know now. Is it for school advocacy? Is it because you need different parenting strategies? Etc.

    Wishing you the best. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    I want to respond to the part of your question about regrets for testing. I have regrets for NOT testing. Knowing earlier on that one of my kids had ASD and the other ADHD could have vastly improved their lives. I didn’t suspect these outcomes and waived away some tests. I feared labels and too much stress and negative attention. Knowing more about your child will not change who they are nor how you treat them. It could give you tools to help them- and get you and your spouse on the same page. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    Interestingly, your child can be gifted and also have ADHD, check out the "twice exceptional" concept.  Kids that are having these challenges can be so very hard on a parents' relationship. I speak from experience--it can feel very divisive and primal--one parent feels they want to protect or shield the child from being pathologized, the other wants to understand and peel back layers at all cost because they see a difficult future ahead.   Save yourself some time, avoid some traumatic arguments,  and save money on couple's therapy and get your child evaluated.   We did a full neuropsych that I wish we had done much earlier. Now we understand our child and what he needs.  The child feels relieved, too.  We're super lucky to live in an area where many great services are available, and many experts are around that truly are at the forefront of learning differences. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    Some pediatricians may rush to conclusions, as some ASD symptoms can look like ADHD or other learning disabiliaty, especially in children AFAB (ours was misdiagnosed by Kaiser's staff). Considering both the comorbidities, and the spectrum of symptoms for ASD and ADHD both, I don't think parents, or non-specialists can diagnose, even if they may have suspicion.

    Asking your pediatrician for a refferal is a good start, though wherever you go, expect a long wait for an evaluation: all the providers we called had 6 months or more wait time. We end up going to Kristin Gross in Berkeley, and can recommend her. I'm not sure what her availability is like though.

    Sep 13, 2023

    hello, we suspected that our son had ADHD at that age and we did a limited study for ADHD which showed he had it and the behavioral pediatrician provided some accomodation recommendations for the school. We recently did the full exam as required for acccomodations in HS. We learned a lot about his style of learning which was very useful. The full study around $6K which our insurance paid 90% after I requested an in network deficiency exception in advance of the testing. To have accomodations, the tests must be less than 3 yr old though keep that in mind. 

    I recommend you start by meeting with a behavioral pediatrician. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    Knowledge is power. However, a full neuropysch assessment is very expensive and many schools won't accept them as they like to do their own. I learned the HARD way. So if you are concerned and he attends public school, you could start with a full educational evaluation; if you disagree, you can then ask them to pay for a full neuropsych evaluation with someone independent. The school district is obligated by law to do so if you request one and they have 60 days to do so. It is a good start particularly if you think it is affecting his performance at school. If you need a sample of an email/letter to send to the school, I would suggest reaching out to DREP, https://dredf.org/. They are based on Berkeley and have templates you can use to request an educational evaluation. 

    Sep 13, 2023

    I don’t know what is the right age, but we had our son do a neuropsych when he was 10. FWIW, I regret not doing it sooner. He was identified as twice-exceptional— gifted/advanced learner AND with ADHD. It explained so much! I was very concerned about pathologizing and a potential negative impact on him from getting a “diagnosis” and it has been just the opposite. Hugely helpful to him and us to better understand how he thinks and learns. We used Summit and they seemed thorough and thoughtful and also didn’t push us into anything. (And very pricey!) Hope this helps.

    Sep 13, 2023

    Autistic adult with very likely 2 autistic kids here, just piping up to say there's a huge overlap between being gifted and ADHD or autistic. All of those qualities are differences in your brain wiring that change how you interface with the world <3

    We ended up doing evals at Cortica in Marin. I was reluctant to set foot in a place that offers the hugely problematic behavioral therapy that's usually the first line of "treatment" for autistic kids, but we had a generally pleasant experience with the doctor who did our kids' evals, and got what we needed. I expect we will never set foot there again.

    I also looked at Summit, because I wanted something neurodiversity-affirming and non-pathologizing, but like all places that aren't "medical providers" they are VERY expensive (like upwards of $5000 per kid) and we just couldn't swing it. Cortica offers autism and ADHD evals, I don't know if they also do IQ testing (which has its own problematic "stuff" but that's a longer conversation). And everything was covered by our insurance so was less than $100.

    You don't give much info about why your wife thinks your kid is autistic or an ADHDer while you think they're gifted--are they struggling with school? Are there other challenges?

    Sep 14, 2023

    Thanks. I should have mentioned we did an ADHD evaluation with Kaiser, which was unsatisfactory, and they retracted it.  

    Sep 14, 2023

    Thanks everyone! Really good tips here. Our son definitely adds challenges that put strain on our life. It also makes a lot of sense that the evaluation depends hugely on the evaluator, and maybe we should talk to Dr. Dan so he can recommend the right evaluator.

    The reason I want to do the evaluation is so we can understand our son better, and find him the right school or approaches at home. I feel I understand him pretty well, but it would be good to have it confirmed.

    As for ADHD or ASD, I’m not worried about the  labels. I’m worried about how my son would benefit from it. And this is true regardless of whether he matches the criteria or not. It’s like when your child shy, and you label them as shy, and then you and others treat them like a shy person. If that’s helpful, then great. But if it’s not, and especially if it’s damaging, then where’s the rationale to use the label?

    Sep 19, 2023

    I noticed no one mentioned the UC Psych Dept. They did a very thorough job for our child. And because it is CAL students they get the 2e issues -- the student who did the eval in high school was familiar with the kind of modifications that are needed for a college 504 plan (It needs to be redone at that age for most colleges). The first testing we did was in 2nd grade for visual motor issues, and then a full eval in 4th grade. The full evaluation included quite a few subtests that found the specific processing areas that were a problem (and also the ones that were strong.) The detailed testing was very helpful to share with the teachers and to plan modifications, even though because of the giftedness they were always above grade level and so never qualified for services through BUSD (I'm not sure if this is the rule in other districts). We paid out of pocket for various remediation. Even now, as a young adult, the testing has been helpful for self-understanding and career development.

    Sep 20, 2023

  • Full mental & behavioral assessment for an adult (40s)?

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    Feb 11, 2023

    I'm looking for help finding someone to do a thorough assessment for my almost ex-husband — and yes, he has agreed to do the assessment. But I don’t know where to start! 

    The most likely issues are either a personality disorder or high functioning ASD (based on what my mental health care providers have said about my description of his actions and behavior) but ideally we'd find someone who could really check everything. 

    If there is anyone you think is very skilled, especially with an adult who struggles with honesty (to the degree of believing his own lies and not realizing it) and manipulation (very good at using his tone and choice of words to shift the subject or make you think something you don’t), I’m all ears. I’m pretty sure he could pass a lie detector test while lying — that’s how serious this is. Open to anyone in the Bay Area, East Bay a plus but not a necessity. Thanks in advance :)

    Feb 11, 2023

    I was in a very similar situation several years ago with my now-ex-husband. Our child’s psychiatrist, who worked extensively with our family, told me he likely had NPD and recommended an assessment by her highly-regarded male colleague, M. D. Girish Subramanyan. My ex trusted working with a male and the dr did an excellent job assessing. It wasn’t NPD, but had many cross over symptoms with BPD. Unfortunately, my ex-husband was unable to accept the diagnosis and treatment plan, which led to our divorce. 
    In any case, I highly recommend Dr. Subramanyan. He will ask for your experiences and perspective as part of the assessment. Contact info: dr.subramanyan [at] sfpsychiatrists.com  (415) 928-1234

    Feb 15, 2023

  • Neuropsych Evaluator with availability?

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    Mar 18, 2022

    We are looking for a recommendation for a neuropsych evaluation for our 11 year old son with anxiety and ADHD, that can be done sooner than this summer if at all possible. The need is time sensitive in that it we need it in order for him to return to school. I have reached out to several listed on BPN, but looking for additional avenues to pursue. We can cast a wide net geographically speaking if helpful. 

    Mar 18, 2022

    I am sorry to hear about your struggles.  My son has the same issues at age 10; I did not move fast enough to secure a neuro-psych assessment. After many different doctors, I was glad to be directed to Dr. Elia Bernou.  Have you tried to see if Dr. Elia Bernou at eastbayassessment.com is available?  She is located in Lafayette -3744 Mt. Diablo Boulevard.  Her phone number is (925) 299-1056.  She is very sensitive and very thorough.  Good luck.

    Mar 23, 2022

    Dr. Brandon Kopald at UCSF is amazing. 
    His Secretary email is:

    Janet.Claudio [at] ucsf.edu
     

    you can tell Silvia Matta from Brazil referred you . He is very through and has great communication with parents. 

    Location:

    UCSF Neurology Practice

    400 Parnassus Avenue, 8th Floor

    San Francisco, CA 94143

    Phone: (415) 353-2273

    Mar 23, 2022

    I can’t speak to her availability, but I highly recommend Carina Grandison. She was great with my ADHDer and her evaluation helped us set up appropriate supports both at school and home. I don’t think we waited very long to see her (though it was a number of years ago and we may have gotten in when someone else cancelled).

    Mar 23, 2022

  • IEE Assessment provider for 2E child

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    Dec 7, 2021

    Looking for recommendation on a provider good with doing an unbiased assessment keeping the whole child in picture. We have an 8 year extremely smart kid with social-emotional regulation challenges. We disagree with the school assessment who thinks our child may be emotional disturbed.

    Dec 7, 2021

    We got a top-notch evaluation for our 8 year old from Lisa Greenberg in Oakland last year. She is so wise, smart and kind.

    Dec 9, 2021

  • Trouble reading in 2nd grade, seeking neuropsych workup

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    Nov 10, 2021

    We just got our 7YO's 2nd grade progress report and she is reading one year below level, as if she were just starting 1st grade. I am not surprised because she HATES reading. She says flat out, "I hate reading, it's hard." It is a struggle every night to get her to do her homework. We have tried multiple approaches to help her. Worksheets that should take 10-20 minutes take an hour to get through. I suspected dyslexia last year but the teacher said it was too soon to worry. Still mixing up b and d. Guesses at basic words. On the other hand, loves math and is good at it (though won't read the directions), making art, puzzles, word search, Scrabble (!), jokes. She is extremely athletic, loves playing outdoors doing just about anything. Very outgoing and social. She likes to spend time alone at night writing stories about superheroes (very creative spelling, no punctuation). She does enjoy picking out books from the library/bookstore, but doesn't read them once they come home. She is adopted from the US, has been with us since birth. We don't know bio fam's health history. She attends an independent school. Parent/teacher conference is this Thursday, I am going to ask for evaluation. We are fortunate to be able to afford outside help. Can anyone recommend PhD for neuropsych eval? 

    Nov 10, 2021

    100% get an outside evaluation.

    We used Alex Peterson: http://www.malexpetersonphd.com

    We really liked him and his suggestions for school accommodations were great.

    Dyslexia can be diagnosed at kinder/1st grade but schools are so reticent to evaluate. 

    Nov 10, 2021

    Hi. Our 9-year-old just completed a comprehensive neuropsych evaluation with Dr. Maya Guendleman, who I found recommended on BPN, and who I also recommend to you. I debated for years about seeking an evaluation and now cannot say how grateful I am that we finally can understand where certain puzzling behaviors come from and how to help. Relieved beyond measure (not by the diagnosis per se but just to feel like I finally have a handle on what she’s struggling with and what we can do for her). Dr. G is incredibly well-qualified, professional, responsive, thoughtful, and kind. I can’t say enough good things about our experience with her. My daughter didn’t enjoy the testing experience, it’s definitely intense, but when I asked what she thought of Dr. Guendleman she said, “Oh, I really liked her, she was great, the work was just tiring.” So…strongly recommend. 

    Nov 10, 2021

    Alan Siegel is a wonderful neuropsychologist with an office on Alcatraz near College. His email is AlanSiegelPHD [at] Gmail.com. He gave our dyslexic  child a thorough work-up and excellent guidance on how best to support him going forward. He has helped us immeasurably over the years (our child is in college now).

    Nov 10, 2021

    Hi, So I don't have a recommendation for a neuropsych, though each school district will do an eval for you for free if you request one through the special education department. On a different note, we used the Reading Revolution program years ago. It's a different approach and combines physical activities with learning to read - from a flat paper to active learning - so it works for a different group of kids, perhaps your child might fall into this group. Here's a link , see what you think.  http://www.readingrevolution.com/CLASSROOM/SpecialEd/

    Good luck

    Nov 10, 2021

  • Where to get a neuropsychology assessment for 5.5 yr old daughter

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    Jun 29, 2021

    I'm looking for any recommendations/referrals in the east bay/sf area for someone amazing to go to for a neuropsychological assessment for my daughter.  We are hoping to get this done before she starts kindergarten in August. 

    Thank you!

    Jun 29, 2021

    Our daughter (6.5 at the time, last year) had neuropsych testing done by Dr. Ionascu at CHO. My daughter thought the whole thing was great fun. Dr. Ionascu also has a private practices in Moraga and Pleasant Hill, if you can't get a referral to Children's. https://www.diablovalleyneuropsychology.com/

    Jun 30, 2021

    I believe Whole Child Psychological Services has openings for assessing that age prior to the start of the school year.  www.wholechildca.com

    Jun 30, 2021

    Dr. Carina Grandison is terrific. She's patient, engaging, fun, comprehensive and welcomes parents' involvement throughout the testing process.  Dr. Grandison has extensive experience working with children from a diverse array of backgrounds, including children who have experienced trauma.  I highly recommend her.  Please note that it will be difficult to complete testing before August, as many neuropsychologists will wish to observe your child in the classroom setting.  Be patient -- it's more important to get good data than to complete the assessment quickly.

    Jun 30, 2021

  • Great Psycho-Educational Evaluation (for teen girl)?

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    Apr 23, 2021

    Hi — can anyone recommend a good (or great!) place to have a thorough psycho-educational evaluation / assessment done for a high-functioning teen...?

    We are looking to identify and help resolve learning challenges related to anxiety and possibly also with reading.

    Thank you!!

    ~Lou

    Apr 23, 2021

    Hi,

     Summit Center in Walnut Creek has multiple services for teens with varied struggles (emotional and academic) .  I heard about it as an alternative to simple  homework support when I was looking for support for my teenage son.  At the time, we went to the Ann Martin Center, because it was closer.  The Ann Martin center has since closed.

    Apr 26, 2021

    Hello,

    When my daughter was a rising third grader we utilized James Adams (drjamessadams [at] gmail.com). She's cognitively high functioning and diagnosed with dyslexia. He provided an extremely thorough report. I most appreciated that his recommendations were so specific and really helped us identify what supports she needed and what potential gaps we should keep an eye on.

    He's a professor, very engaging and he's seen a lot so he is able to speak with clarity on a diverse range of presentations. I highly recommend him. We had our daughter evaluated by another provider recommended by the school years later and were just not as pleased with the clarity of the evaluation and recommendations for next steps.

    Apr 26, 2021

    We saw Dr. Jack Davis in Lafayette and he was very thorough and helpful. Good luck!

    May 3, 2021

  • Recommendation for neuropsychologists good with 2e kids

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    Mar 21, 2021

    I’m looking for recommendations for a neuropsychologist to test my 10 y.o. son who is 2e (gifted and ADHD). He can be challenging when asked to do things that are new so the person needs to be very patient and flexible in their approach.  Dr. Joanna Berg was recommended so in addition to other recommendations, I’m curious if anyone has worked with her. Thanks! 

    Mar 21, 2021

    About 2 years ago, my son aged 16 at the time, saw Dr. Carina Grandison who is in Berkeley.  She is a child neuropsychologist.  My son is also 2E, gifted and ADHD, and also with depression.  He didn't want to go, but when he met her, she was so disarming, welcoming.  Thorough test results but also insights about him.   She was booking a fews months out at the time.

    Mar 25, 2021

  • Need a recommendation for a psych evaluator for an 11yo ADHD boy

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    Mar 17, 2020

    Hi parents!
    I'm looking for a licensed psychologist who can help perform a neuro psych evaluation for my 11yo ADHD son. Does anyone here have any experience with any of these 4 evaluators?

    1. Lisa Sporri, PhD: (415) 264-4313
    2. Dr. Jeremy Jensen https://www.drjeremyjensen.com
    3. Ghazaleh Rafati, PhD: https://www.alignable.com/corte-madera-ca/ghazaleh-rafati-ph-d
    4. Silva Hassert https://www.linkedin.com/in/silva-hassert-ph-d-23896876

    Or maybe you have an amazing referral to give me? 
    I'm looking for someone who has experience with tween male ADHD, depression, mood disorders, and huge plus if they can help with classroom accommodation adjustments. 

    Thank you, parents! 

    Mar 17, 2020

    Dr. Manisha Punwani has been a godsend for our family. We have two boys, ages 12 and 9 with ADHD, sensory processing, anxiety, are 2E (twice-exceptional - very bright and ahead in some areas but with challenges in other areas due to the other diagnosis.)

    We have been with her for 3 years and she has completed changed our family dynamics for the better. 

    She is thoughtful, intuitive, knows how to speak to tweens and an all-around amazing practitioner.

    Cons: located in SF (but was worth the drive,) and doesn' take insurance (most good psych evals don't take insurance though.)

    Dr. Manisha Punwani, 1801 Bush Street, SF, CA 94109  http://www.drmanishapunwanimd.com

    Mar 18, 2020

    I am could have written your post, down to the age of your boy!  I've been looking as well and so far, the one place that was highly recommended to me is https://summitcenter.us/.

    All the best to you and your family! 

    Mar 18, 2020

    I randomly opened the newsletter and had to respond to second and third dr punwani. My 10yo son has been seeing her since June - adhd anxiety 2e. We meet monthly. She has been a godsend to our family. So much so that I asked for her to treat/see me (his mother) in January. I’ve known I needed medication as my midwestern grit was no longer working to the same high level. It was a tough decision for me to make but I knew I was in good hands with dr punwani  - becoming a parent particularity to my older 2e son has challenged me in so many areas.

    Please note dr punwani is a psychiatrist. She meets with my son for the bulk of his appointments and has established a great relationship with him. 

    I’ve had some experience with the summit center and would recommend there too. We live in the suburb east bay and every time I trek into the city to meet with dr punwani I’m reminded how awesome she is with my kid and me and our well-being. 

    Mar 25, 2020

    I highly recommend Dr Carina Grandison. She provided a thorough and insightful evaluation for our ADHDer (combined type) with sensory challenges. It helped us immensely in understanding and how to support our child. Her evaluation and recommendations have held up in two different schools (public & parochial) to get our child the necessary accommodations. She’s not inexpensive, but you may be able to get insurance to reimburse (depending on diagnosis) if you can create a paper trail indicating it’s medically necessary (start with your pediatrician).

    Mar 25, 2020

    We recently completed an evaluation with Dr. Alex Peterson in Oakland and not only was he fantastic with our 8 year old, our school and the people we are working with (OT, behaviorist etc.) have all commented on how well-written the report was.  We had a great experience and will most likely have him evaluate our other child next year. 

    Apr 1, 2020

  • Neuropscyh eval for 7 year old

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    Mar 2, 2020

    Our HF ASD son has recently had difficulty staying focused in school and our school has recommended that he be evaluated by a neuropsychologist. We were given the following names by our insurance and our son's private school and we are wondering if anyone has feedback to provide on any of following providers:Harmony Satre, Elea Bernou, Rebecca Branstetter.   We are looking for someone who is thoughtful about assessments in children with autism. We want to clarify if his inattention is related to his ASD or if he has an additional diagnosis of ADD. Thank you for any feedback or new recommendations of someone that worked well with your little one. 

    Mar 2, 2020

    Dr. Bernou is a lovely person and very thorough and thoughtful. I highly recommend her. Her evaluation of our daughter has been very valuable. 

    Mar 4, 2020

    Our daughter is older but we cannot recommend Maya Guendelman highly enough.  https://www.bayareaneuropsych.com/   She is an expert on ASD and after years' worth of school testing for IEPs, Maya's evaluation blew all of them out of the water.   She really got into the nuance of our daughter's situation and how her autism and other learning disabilities intersected with one another.  As parents we left with names and explanations for aspects of our daughter's behavior and challenges that had previously baffled us.  Maya attended an IEP meeting and presented her findings to my daughter's teaching team that gave us all clear directives about *how* she needed to be taught, what right-sized expectations looked for our daughter and which next steps to prioritize.   My daughter has a lot more going on than her HF ASD so her situation may be more complicated than your son's.  I am a social worker by profession and could recognize that Maya is great at testing AND relating to kids AND conveying challenging and sometimes sad news to parents AND presenting clear directives to IEP teams. 

    Mar 4, 2020

    Dr Terry Doyle in Rockridge did our so so neuropsych eval. If she’s still doing it, she is considered one of the best. We LOVED  her.

    Mar 4, 2020

  • Neuro-psych assessment for 1st grader

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    Dec 4, 2019

    Hello,

    I have read a couple recommendations here about neuropsych assessments & am just asking again in case there are more / more recent. I have a 6yo 1st grade daughter with possible dyslexia or processing difficulties (struggles with writing, numbers & reading) possible attention weakness. She is on the shy side so of course would need a very engaging & attuned person who works expertly with younger kids. (Some opinions may be to wait until later to have her assessed. I am not of that opinion & don’t mind hearing those opinions but am really seeking recommendations for thorough, expert neuro-psych evaluations to tease out in a precise way (as possible) the learning challenges she is facing.) She has completed an eval at the UC Optometry Clinic & may need vision therapy, but I am interested too in the processing problems. Thank you! 
    Mursanee
     

    Dec 4, 2019

    They are expensive, even through UC Berkeley using students. We were very discouraged by the cost when we started down this road about two years ago. We ended up getting a fairly thorough one through the school district! Rare, but it happens. It was via the IEP - he already had an IEP that did not seem to be meeting all his issues so we pushed them to do this for a better assessment. If you don't already have an IEP, I would start with a call to DREDF.

    Dec 20, 2019

    If you’re looking for testing related to learning and education, I recommend starting with the schools. They can make more recommendations and start an IEP as well if needed. If for learning/education, unfortunately, health insurance will not pay for the tests most likely (but the school would). You can also look into working with a child therapist to rule out anything else including anxiety that may be getting in the way of learning and development. A psychologist will then make recommendations (and can even complete some testing) as needed. And again although they may not cover the financial aspects of tests, if you call your health insurance company, they can give recommendations for providers locally. (I’m a licensed clinical social worker and have extensive history working with kids and teens. Although I don’t specialize in learning disorders, this is the route I’d recommend to a client or friend/family). Hope this helps!

    Dec 28, 2019

    We had a good experience at the Autistic Center of Northern California (https://www.acnc.org/)  They were able to do a neurodevelopment assessment involving different specialists, such as occupational therapists, speech, etc. at one time.  They focus on learning how your child processes information and can help recommend therapists and forming a plan for how to support your child, regardless if they are on the spectrum or not. Screening for ADD, ADHD, Dsylexia, etc. is part of the evaluation process so you would also learn if these are issues for your child.

    We are in private school and our health insurance did not cover the assessment. From our research, these assessments can range from $1800+. We were at the point at which we felt it was worthwhile to pay out of pocket so we weren't doing OT, speech therapy, and whatever else trying to work on specific issues and possibly not seeing that these were all connected somehow. Our child is around the same age and we had been observing possible learning differences since he was an infant, as well as suggestions from teachers.  ACNC came highly recommended from friends, and it was one of the more affordable options. 

    They have a lot of helpful information on their website and I called to speak with their coordinator prior to scheduling an assessment. Their specialists were all extremely good with building a positive rapport with my child so he was happy to spend time doing assessments. (The assessment takes a few hours.)  Afterwards, their specialists were accessible and patiently answered all of our questions. They are located in downtown SF.

    Jan 13, 2020

  • Neuropsych - 6y/o ADHD combined type

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    Mar 12, 2019

    My 6 year old was just diagnosed with ADHD combined type and Adjustment disorder, mixed emotions & conduct.  We'd like to have her evaluated by a neuropsych to figure out how best to help her and to make sure that there aren't any other learning issues being hidden by her being "very bright" according to the teachers and evaluators.  

    I'd appreciate any recommendations for neuropsychs.

    Also, I've seen people recommend UCB for evaluations and I have a call into them for the summer evaluation session.  However, it says they only call you if they will schedule you, but there's no reference to when they will start calling.  If anyone knows how soon call backs could happen, that would be greatly appreciated.  I don't want to delay an evaluation with someone else while waiting for a UCB scheduling call that may not come.

    Mar 12, 2019

    Highly recommend the Anne Martin Center in Emeryville. Less expensive than the private alternatives and they did an excellent evaluation for my daughter

    Mar 13, 2019

  • Neuropsychological Evaluation 7 yr old

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    Nov 28, 2018

    Hi, I need some recommendations for a neuropsychological evaluation for my 7 year old daughter.  We have already many assessments in the area of her academic learning.  I am now looking for a clinical diagnosis in the areas of ADD/ADHD, an autism screening and whatever else I am missing.  I have found a vast range in prices,  number of hours spent assessing the child, and wait time to get an appointment.  For example, I spoke with one specialist that charges 15k, has a year long waitlist and does about 60 hours of assessments/observations.  I also have found a specialist that charges 3k,  does only 8 hours of assessments and is available in 3 weeks.  Any suggestions out there for individuals to contact and how to choose the right person for a neuopsych eval??

    Thank you

    Nov 28, 2018

    Hi Rhoda - you should contact Dr. Maya Guendelman, based in Elmwood/Berkeley. She is extremely smart, caring, and thorough. Her reports and recommendations are clear and helpful - so you feel like you understand the problems and exactly what needs to be done to address them, specifically who can help (e.g., therapists, specialists, etc). My understanding is her prices are between the extremes you mentioned, and her report (that I've seen) is very individualized. That quote for $15K/60 hours of testing seems crazy to me given what you're looking for.  In my experience there's a wide range in quality of people out there doing "neuropsych" evals. Your best bet is to choose an actual neuropsychologist with a PhD- rather than a psychologist, school psychologist, etc. who say they do neuropsych testing -- it's not the same. A neuropsychologist who only does neuropsych should be able to integrate the results from all of the assessments you've gotten and help you make sense of them, figure out the appropriate diagnoses, perform testing that connects all the pieces together, etc. Finally, you should talk to the person you're considering (most I know of will offer a free phone consultation) and make sure they seem like they understand your needs and goals for the assessment. Dr. Guendelman will do that - and I seriously cannot recommend her highly enough. Plus she's from Berkeley and her PhD is from Cal. I know she works with kids in your daughter's age range too. 

    Dec 5, 2018

    My teenager had a neuropsych evaluation last summer and it was around $6000 and took probably 12-15 hours. This might be longer than usual -- he has severe focus issues and takes much longer than most kids to complete tests. The cost works out to several hundred dollars per hour which is in range for a PhD-level clinician with a very specific focus.  I imagine the cost goes up or down based on experience or reputation, just like every other profession. How we found our neuropsych is we got referrals from our son's developmental pediatrician who had made his original ADD diagnosis years before. We just picked a neuropsych based on convenience of location and it worked out fine.

    You might consider consulting with a developmental pediatrician instead of a neuropsychologist if you think your child's main issue is ADD. A developmental pediatrician will not usually administer the full battery of tests that a neuropsych does, so it's far fewer hours, which translates to lower costs. Developmental pediatricians focus more on brain chemistry issues like ADD as opposed to identifying specific learning disabilities through extensive testing. We really liked our developmental pediatrician Dr. Eraklis in Orinda and I highly recommend her. She diagnosed our son with ADD  when he was in 2nd grade and we've continued to consult with her now and then over the years and she has always been so helpful and informative. The diagnosis she gave us in 2nd grade was all our son needed to get accommodations in school all the way through high school (a 504 Plan). But in order to get accommodations for the SAT and ACT this past year, he needed a full-blown neuropsych evaluation taken within the past 3 years, so we shelled out the money for that. It was much more detailed than the original diagnosis, and it uncovered a learning difference we had noticed but didn't have a name for. But mainly it confirmed what we already knew from the diagnosis many years before from Dr. Eraklis.  He has severe inattentive ADD!

    Dec 6, 2018

    Carina Grandison, Berkeley.  We had to wait about 2.5 months.  We're in the middle of our assessment and Dr. Grandison seems great, but you can read the other reviews of her to check.  Our son is a teenager and now we wish we had done this way sooner, so good for your daughter that you are taking this in hand at a young age.  Good luck.

    Dec 9, 2018

  • Psychoeducational Testing for adult ADHD on a Budget?

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    Jul 16, 2018

    Hi! I am in the process of determining if I have ADHD, and I have been told I need to find someone to give me psychoeducational testing to see if I also have a learning disability. I live in the Richmond/El Cerrito area. Does anyone know of a trustworthy psychoeducational tester who works with adults and does not cost a kabillion dollars? TIA! 

    Jul 16, 2018

    The California School of Professional Psychology (doctoral psychology program) offers low cost psychological assessment, including psychoeducational testing, through it's training clinic, the Psychological Services Center.  All assessment and the reports are closely supervised by licensed psychologists and the quality is very high.  You can contact them at 510-628-9065.

    Jul 18, 2018

  • Psychoeducational Eval for College Accommodations for Dyslexia?

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    Nov 27, 2017

    Hi All,

    My h.s. senior is applying to college! He has always had an IEP in Oakland Unified for specific learning disability (dyslexia). His testing is more than 3 years old. It looks like I will need to get him evaluated privately to qualify him for accommodations in college. Can anyone recommend an agency or individual who won't be super expensive? (I don't think the school will provide the testing because they are trying to "exit" him from services.)

    Thank you!!

    Nov 27, 2017

    UC Berkeley will do testing as will the Ann Martin Center (sliding scale).

    Dec 4, 2017

    I believe they need to eval him in order to exit. You might want to check on the process. 

    Dec 4, 2017

    Yes, you've got to set up the testing on your own.  The school should, if they're conscientious, provide you with names of people who do the testing.

    Be sure to request accommodation for both the SAT and ACT tests.  Accommodation for the ACT is more useful to most students, but is also harder to obtain from the test-maker.

    Raymond Barglow

    Dec 4, 2017

    East Bay Family Institute has a wonderful technician, Liz Walser. 

    http://eastbayfamilyinstitute.com/

    Five years ago we paid $1500. 

    Dec 4, 2017

    I've used Clearwater Assessment for my children.  I won't say it's cheap but it's relatively reasonable.

    Dec 5, 2017

    We used UC Berkeley for our student who had a 504 plan in high school. The tester seemed very aware of the accommodations that would be needed for going to a UC (early registration, extended time on testing, lower course load.)  Sliding scale.

    Dec 9, 2017

  • Neusopsychologist evaluation for 10th grader

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    Sep 11, 2017

    Our 15 year old daughter has multiple complex learning issues and has been on an IEP all through school. SHe has just entered Grade 10.

    Her last evaluation was 5 years ago, by a not very skilled professional. We think it's time to update it, hoping to pinpoint specific issues and provide her with tools to learn, and a plan for the future ( with realistic college expectations)

    Anyone have personal experience of Dr Sandra Chiao in Berkeley or Dr Carole King?

    Thank you!

    Sep 11, 2017

    We had our 14 year old evaluated by Dr. Bernou in Lafayette. He also has extremely complex needs and she was great with him and did the most accurate and thorough evaluation we have had.  She came and presented it to the school as well.

    Sep 18, 2017

    We used Carina Grandison - highly recommend her. If she is not available I know she will be able to recommend other good people. 

    Sep 18, 2017

    I am a teacher and have been in meetings with Sandra and have been impressed.

    Sep 18, 2017

    My 16yo just started seeing Sandra Chiao for a detailed neuropsych work-up so he can get accommodations for the ACT/SAT. She was recommended by our beloved developmental pediatrician so that was a big point in her favor. We are still at the beginning of the evaluation, but I recently met with her for more than two hours while my kid was doing some testing on the computer in another room. Her office is a small studio in the back garden of her home near Star Market in Berkeley. It's a pleasant, leafy setting that put me at ease.   I found Dr. Chiao to be very friendly and down to earth, a good listener, with a lot of incisive questions. She explained in detail what kinds of tests she'd be doing, what she'd be looking at, and what sort of reporting we could expect back. My very shy kid and I both clicked with her right away, and I would recommend her. 

    Sep 18, 2017

  • Looking for a Neuropsychologist to do testing

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    Aug 29, 2017

    I am looking for a Neuropsychologist in or near Oakland, to do Neuropsychological Testing for my 9 year old daughter with Anxiety and Sensory Processing Issues.

    Thanks,

    Emily

    Aug 29, 2017

    Gabrielle Anderson is terrific. Same issues with my 9 year old son.gabrielle [at] hallowellsfo.com (gabrielle[at]hallowellsfo[dot]com)www.hallowellSFO.comUC Berkeley has a psychology program that also provides assistance to this situation. Its a wait list but half the price.Gabrielle studied at UCB who told us about the program. 

    Aug 30, 2017

    We just finished with extensive neuropsych testing for my 6yo daughter at Westcoast Children's Clinic in Oakland. The Dr. whom we were placed with was AMAZING! I suspect anyone you get there will be fantastic. My kiddo has a rare disorder which causes anxiety and OCD. The Dr went above and beyond to research it and figure out how it was affecting my kid. She was also an amazing advocate for us in talking to her school. Unfortunately, she is leaving Westcoast at the end of this month and opening up her own practice in Rockridge, doing the same testing, etc. It actually might be easier to get in to her, because we had to wait awhile to get into Westcoast (totally worth it!). Dr's name is Rebecca Gitenstein (dr.rebecca.gitenstein [at] gmail.com)

    Good luck Mama!

    Aug 30, 2017

    If you suspect giftedness mixed in with the anxiety and SPD, look to the Summit Center in Walnut Creek

    Aug 30, 2017

  • Neuropsychological assessments for 10 year old.

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    Jul 24, 2017

    I have been looking into into getting a professional neuropsychological assessment done for my son who has some complex learning challenges as well as likely executive function issues. I am hoping for someone who will really take the initiative to uncover what seems to be a complicated compendium of 'stuff' and not just have a report thrown at me with no solutions.  Curious if anyone has worked with Lisa Greenberg in Oakland?      

    Jul 24, 2017

    Our family has worked with Dr. Lisa Greenberg in Rockridge.  I ran into her recently, looked her in the eyes and told her, "you changed my son's life."  This is simply the truth.  

    We approached Dr. Greenberg on the recommendation of friends when our son found that he couldn't finish the SAT, or the ACT in one sitting. He had a prior assessment that was not as thorough as it needed to be but we didn't know until our son's back was up against the wall.  The prior testing was rejected by ACT and the College Board - no accommodations.  Call it a parental learning curve. Spend the money now, or spend more later: been there, done that.  And most critically, time lost cannot be gained back. 

    Dr. Greenberg has the rare combination of experience, professional and ethical standards, intuitive sense and ability to communicate respectfully to both teens and adults in an intelligent, supportive, educational and genuinely positive way.  She's the total package. She created a safe space for our son to talk and share with her. My son, who had been struggling with feeling stupid, ended up seeing and feeling how smart he is through the testing and her ability to explain to him how his brain works, the gifts he has and the areas that are different.  Her family counseling is spot on. 

    Dr. Greenberg took the time to listen to our concerns, and our son's concerns, about his learning and future. Her intake was extremely thorough. She worked with us step by step to explaining which tests she thought were necessary and which ones weren't or needed to wait until she had more information.  We never got the sense that she was spending our money on unnecessary testing.  Highly detailed reports were tailored to our son specifically, and were clear, logical and visually easy to read.  She educated us on his cognitive situation, explained test results, answered as many questions as we had, and made recommendations.  We never had the feeling that she was anywhere but present with us.

    Dr. Greenberg created a team, making herself accessible to and communicating with the ACT tutor we hired, his regular tutor, teachers, and the Learning Specialist at school for testing accommodation in his classes. She also assisted those at school in charge of working with College Board and ACT, to obtain the appropriate accommodations. 

    With regard to petitioning the College Board and ACT (which is much harder than the initial request,) she explained that when testing scores/assessments/recommendations are sent to the College Board they need to present the findings in the most straight forward way - readable, understandable information, "right there." Dr. Greenberg's submission demonstrated clearly and precisely why our son needed the accommodations she recommended. 

    As a result of Dr. Greenberg's outstanding expertise, team building, and my son's involvement in his own adventure, he raised his ACT scores to a number that was a game changer in terms of college acceptances.  While we are parents who loath the standardized testing system, we feel it was a critical factor in his acceptance to a high ranking engineering school, (and which was the right fit for him.) Best of all, I can sleep at night ;)

    Jul 26, 2017

    About Dr. Greenberg: I have additional information that I should have put in my first recommendation.  My son's cognitive situation is that his brain has 1% attention (that means out of 100 people, 99 of their brains have more attention span than his brain does.) But he has no social issues that often go along with ADHD.  He has executive function and a very high verbal IQ. But also, and I'm not going to be able to remember the name, but a certain form of dyslexia as well as slow processing when taking information in.  Please read my longer review for more information.

    Jul 26, 2017

  • Affordable neuropsychological testing for 9yo

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    Mar 3, 2017

    I am looking for neuropsychological testing for my son. He is nine years old and in the 3rd grade. His school suggested that I get testing done. However I can not afford the cost of most testing programs. I am looking sliding scale program. He is having social and emotional trouble at school, particularly with students, and being defiant towards his teachers. Is neuropsychological testing helpful? What does it consist of? After testing is done what is next? Are there any sliding scale programs out there?  I have heard about the JFK University program. Does any one have any experience with their program?  Thanks any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Mar 3, 2017

    I had a neuropsych assessment done for my son thru our HMO.  It was not easy to get it out of them, because they pretty much told me that one would have to suffer a head injury and be truly incapacitated mentally to get one.  However, my son had so many unusual symptoms, including physical pain in his early teens, and memory lapses where he'd know something very well only to say he had no idea what it was the next day (and I thought he pretended not to remember, and we both ended up in tears!).  I asked several times, several doctors, first a psych therapist, then a developmental doctor, then a therapist again, until they gave us an assessment.  It was done by a resident doctor, under supervision of their regular doc.  It sounded like our HMO had only one doctor who is able to perform neuropsych evals for the whole Northern California, so I think having a resident to help out was one of the factors in their decision to provide us an eval.

    You can make your case persuasive enough, especially if your school has an experience with something like this, which I hope they do, otherwise they are just throwing words around without knowing what they really mean. They should know what a neuropsych assessment will provide, and give enough reasons for why your son needs it.  What about the school district?  Did your son have an IEP? Do they think he needs a neuopsych, as a team, or is it just a school administrator or teacher who's suggesting it?

    Regarding what you get out of an assessment, for us it was a lot of interesting information about our son, some of it rather useful. For example, we found that he has very slow processing speed, which explained a lot about him acting out in class, or getting frazzled when he was called on without much warning, or spent hours on something that should take minutes for a "regular" kid. They have scales for all kinds of things, like visual and hearing perception. I forget everything they included, and I had a learning specialist review a draft before I agreed on the final assessment.  I can give you more info if you want, just ask the moderator for my contact info.  In the end, we used the assessment to prepare a 504 plan for my son's school, and it's been hugely helpful to have it.  Plus, it has been helpful to me to understand my son's strengths and weaknesses as detailed by the evaluation, and adjust my expectations of him and be able to help him better to cope with his issues.

    All that said, the evaluation is not able to tell you the entire "truth" about your kid. As anything, it's somewhat subjective, and is affected by how your child performs on the days it happens (in our case, it took two separate sessions on two different days, because my son got too tired to go through the whole thing in one sitting).

    Also, you can find a lot of helpful info in books. I got one of them, specific to slow processing speed, but it has a section on neuropsych evals and what they provide,etc.  Maybe you can find it or something like it in the library: "Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up: Help Your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Succeed in a Fast-Paced World".

    Take care, and good luck. Things work out, our kids grow up. And they do get better, especially when we parents invest our time and our selves in making that happen.

    Mar 8, 2017

    I would contact Radha Richmond - she is a Licensed Educational Psychologist who does neuropsychological testing as well as other tests for learning disabilities and the emotional piece too- and she is great because she was a teacher and has worked with kids for years so she has the practical application to schools and the learning piece as well. I don't know what you consider affordable but she is reasonable and well worth it! 

    I think her website is www.eastbayedpsych.com.&nbsp;

    Mar 9, 2017

    The Wright Institute in Berkeley has sliding scale assessment services. 

    Mar 9, 2017

    Good neuropsych testing should be helpful. Get specific questions from teachers and formulate your own so the Psychologist knows what your need to know. You should also try Access institute in the city and Ann Martin Center in Emeryville

    Mar 9, 2017

    I looked into this about a year ago for my 2nd grader. It is so expensive. Even the "affordable" option through UC Berkeley was ridiculous (sorry, I don't remember the price tag because I basically fainted when they finally told me after 2 weeks of phone tag with the interns). If a public school is recommending neuropsych testing, they should provide it. Since you didn't say that, sounds like you are in private school, and then, yes, it's on you. My best suggestion is to try to find someone working on their PhD who will do it independently at a lower cost, but then perhaps you run the risk of the school not accepting the results. My second best suggestion is to tell the school flat out you can't afford it, and can you break up the pieces to get at what the main concerns are in the school setting, and perhaps pay a therapist for a couple sessions - I assure you, that will be MUCH cheaper than a full neuropsych eval. Good luck!

    Mar 11, 2017

    I believe the Ann Martin center has a sliding scale http://www.annmartin.org

    Mar 15, 2017

  • Recommendations for evaluation of possible dysgraphia in teen

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    Sep 15, 2016

    We are wondering if our child has dysgraphia based on what is happening and what we are reading in Google searches. We would like recommendations for testing and evaluation to find out (other than UCB). Thank you.

    Sep 15, 2016

    For the gold standard of testing, recommendations, and creating reports and plans for schools is Carina Grandison, PhD.  (510) 704-1820 · 2006 Dwight Way Ste 301. Berkeley, CA 94704. My younger son has several learning challenges related to a serious illness coupled with an underlying neurological condition, and she has been invaluable to us over the years. My older son, who was clearly bright and engaged, struggled with reading and writing in 3rd grade. Carina dxed orthographic dyslexia and presented a list of teaching strategies for his school. He is now attending a competitive HS and doing very well. 

    Best of luck.

    Sep 19, 2016

  • David O'Grady for neuropsych eval of third grader

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    Sep 1, 2016

     We recently received a referral to David O'Grady in Walnut Creek for a neuropsych evaluation of our young son. I can find very little online about him regarding patient reviews. Has anyone had experience with him testing their children? The one BPN message I saw about him was for adult therapy.  Wondering if we should get back on the list for Dr. mountain at Kaiser even though she has a four month waiting list.

    Thanks

    Sep 1, 2016

    Having a waiting list is usually a sign that this person is good. I would wait for a good person; this is an important eval.

    Sep 7, 2016

Archived Q&A and Reviews

 

Pediatric neuropsychologists Ubogy and Bernou

July 2015

We would like to get a neuropsych workup for my teenager (possible ADHD, OCD), and Seth Ubogy and Elea Bernou have both been recommended. Neither seems to have been reviewed yet on this website. Would love to hear your thoughts about both of them! Anonymous

Elea Bernou is wonderful. She is very thorough with her evaluations and her recommendations. She is a very knowledgable and kind person and really takes the time to get to know the child she is evaluatiing. I have had experience with her both professionally (I am an OT) and personally as she helped a relative of mine. Debra

We highly recommend Dr. Ubogy for neuropsych testing. He is easy to relate with, thorough and our son liked him. Dr Ubogy performed the typical test;Problem Solving, Planning and Abstract Thinking, Attention and Concentration... He talked with our sons school, therapist and specialist. We feel like we gained a better understanding of our sons strengths and weaknesses. Our son was given information to help him succeed in school. And, we had written plan for his teachers. You mentioned that there was no info on him on BPN. There was a recent inquiry on Dr. Ubogy with responses about a couple of months ago. We were still in the process with him and I responded that it was going well and I saw a few other replies.

I do not have experience with the doctor you asked about, but I can give a strong recommendation for Dr Marianna Eraklis in Orinda. We had the exact same assessment for our 10 year old daughter. Dr. Eraklis has a great rapport with my daughter and has helped us greatly with strategies to manage her ADHD at home and at school. Mom of ADHD girl

Neuropsych Evaluation for Possibly Gifted kid

Nov 2013

My daughter who is about to turn 8, has been recommended for Neuropsychological evaluation by her school. She's had signs of giftedness since she was young, advanced and early vocabulary, highly observant, long attention span, intensely focused, understanding etc. We never done anything to get her identified because it never seemed necessary.

She's also have difficulty with anxiety, perfectionism, and abiity to switch tasks. Since many of her issues are common among gifted kids, I want to make sure whoever evaluates her has some background with gifted children. Anyone have a neuropsychological evaluator that they can share? Anyone have any luck getting insurance to pay? Needing a good match

Definitely contact Summit Center in Walnut Creek. They specialize in assessment of gifted kids and really understand their particular needs. www.summitcenter.us Good luck! mom of a gifted kid

the summit center is really good especially for gifted kids. they have done a lot of work on supporting kids with the developmental patterns the latter often show. walnut creek and a few other office places. anon

Pediatric Neuropsychologist for 9 year old

Oct 2013

My 9 year old son has seen a lovely therapist for several years and she has recommended that he be evaluated by a pediatric neuropsychologist to gain additional insight into his ongoing and escalating behavioral issues. We have UBH and they only cover in network providers. Can anyone share information about Dr. Mary Heller or Dr. Charlotte Crawford? Also, does anyone have recommendations for someone who evaluates for sensory processing disorder?

If you are willing to wait a bit and go to SF, Leyla Bologlu is an incredible nueropsychologist. Could be a long wait though. I have also heard good things about Elea Bernou in Lafayette. Full disclosure, I am a pediatric OT, but let me know if you have any questions about an evaluation for sensory processing disorder. I have worked in SF for 13 years, and am now working with clients in the east bay for in-home evaluations, with a clinic site opening in Walnut Creek in January. Debra

Neuropsych Exam for teen girl

Oct 2013

Our high school freshman had a neuropsych exam when she was in the second grade, and it was very helpful. Now in high school, she is MISERABLE, really struggling, disappointed, bored, tired.... I am wondering if we should have her re-assessed, now that she is older, and see what, if anything, has changed (or possibly, if we can get a more accurate picture of her strengths and challenges). I do not know how to find someone to do an exam. Where does one go? Can anyone recommend anyone local? Thanks for any references. Confused Mama

I would start with your pediatrician, and go from there. I know Children's Hospital has neuropsychologists...you could start there if you don't have an HMO.

try Clearwater http://www.clearwaterclinic.com/ good luck

Neuropsych evaluation for 7 year old

Oct 2013

We are looking into Neuro psych evaluation for our 7 years old son.He has great difficulties with social skill and also he has sensory processing disorder .We are considering either Dr Alex Peterson or Dr Grandison from Berkeley. Any recommendation of either one of them would be great help. Thanks so much! Anna

I would suggest you work with Dr. Peterson. He's very good. anon

Both Dr. Peterson and Dr. Grandison are excellent! Both will do a thorough evaluation and spend the time you need to understand your child. If you are interested in having your son evaluated be sure to call ASAP to make an appointment as this is a extremely busy time of the year for them. Nancy

Dr. Grandison is very good - empathetic, effective and thourough. highly recommended! Juliane

Dr. Caroline Johnson, Neuropsych

June 2013

My almost 10 year old son needs neuropsych testing and Dr. Johnson was recommended to us. The latest review of her is from March 2011 and I'm wondering if anyone has had any more recent experiences. We are trying to rule out ADD, ADHD etc as well as receive some educational testing as we suspect that some of his issues may stem from high intelligence. Which leads me to my other question which is - what exactly is a gifted child and how do you know if you have one? My son is anxious, depressed and extremely dissatisfied with his world and we have been struggling for over a year now with how to help him. All insights extremely welcome. Worried mama

Dear worried mama, Caroline Johnson is wonderful, kind and very knowledgeable. We met with her for a consultation and she explained the whole process in detail. She did our child's neuropsych assessment last summer and all of the information has been very helpful. We continue to call or meet with her for follow up questions and advice. Make an appointment with her and get on her waiting list now. You can decide if she is a good fit for your son. Good luck--it is a hard road, but she is wonderful and will really help you figure things out. another mom

Hi - I have two kids with learning issues and Dr. Johnson has evaluated both of them. She is very kind and great with kids, advocates for you with the school district if your child needs help, and should qualify for special services. She also knows her stuff. I have been told by my pediatrician and my son's developmental pediatrician that she is ''the best.'' She is also very honest. My son has disabilities but she told us when he was evaluated that he did not qualify for special ed services because at the time of the testing it was not interfering with his ability to learn. (My son has AD/HD). That wasn't what we wanted to hear, necessarily, but was her honest opinion. That was five or six years ago. She is testing my daughter now and advocating with the school for better services for her. My daughter is very bright, but has pretty severe dyslexia. Because Dr. Johnson is a straight shooter, the schools and judges (if you have to go to hearing to get what you need) also respect her opinion. The down side of having a great reputation is that she is extremely busy. It usually takes several months to get appointment times to have your child evaluated. With my daughter we got appointments about six months in advance. She was good about getting the intial report within three or four weeks. The first time we used her it took longer to get the report. She is in demand and extremely busy, attending meetings at schools, etc. in addition to doing the testing. Hope that helps. Mom with special kids

Dr. Johnson (Kie) has assessed my daughter twice - in third and eighth grades. She is wonderful in every way. She is extremely experienced and knowledgable. She is completely professional. She is GREAT with kids. She has great respect for the children and families with whom she works. I can't sing her praises highly enough. She can also become an advocate for your child, with schools, teachers, etc. - explaining how your child works and what s/he needs. My daughter's issues were different than your son's but I think you cannot go wrong with Dr. Johnson. We learned a great deal that helped us and our daughter.. Grateful Mom

I cannot say enough good things about Kie Johnson. She is a consummate Pediatric Neuropsychologist-- highly skilled, experienced and attuned to both parents and children. As a therapist, I have referred kids to her many times, always with very satisfying results. And as a mother, we asked her to evaluate our son many years ago for some learning issues in an otherwise extremely intelligent kid (he went on to get a PhD). As the wife of a neuropsychologist, I know my husband has enormous respect for both her work and her person. RE: your other questions, don't get ahead of yourself! Let Kie take a look at your son and she will help you with some direction. Good luck Heidi

We had a Pediatric Neuro-psych Evaluation done for our child who sounds quite similar to your son. We also had our child tested at the Gifted Development Center (GDC) in Denver, Colorador. Both sets of test results were very helpful though if there is a chance your child is highly or profoundly gifted, I would have him tested at the GDC before getting the Neuro-psych evaluation. It was finding out the level of giftedness in our child, and what that meant, from life-long professionals in the field, that really started the process of improvement in our child's life and in our family life. We also have considerable experience with the challenges stemming from raising a twice-gifted child... who is both highly gifted and has ADD/ depression/ anxiety issues. If it would be of value, I'm happy to share more with you about our experience with all these tests, with numerous schools, and with the therapy and medication options we've tried. (If you'd like to talk more, please ask the Moderator for my contact info.) By the way, I do not know Caroline Johnson but Cynthia Peterson, who, I believe, shares an office with Caroline, did our Pediatric Neuro-psych Evaluation and was excellent. Wishing you all the best!

Neuropsych eval for 11 year old

Nov 2012

I'm considering a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation for my 11 year old daughter, through Raskob Institute. The psychologist is Dr. Mary Cunningham. Any feedback on neuropsych testing by either Raskob or Dr. Cunningham? Recommendations for other doctors? Kaiser won't cover, so cost is a factor, but I'm resigned to pay whatever, as long as I get some info. gotta help my kid

I highly recommend Alex Peterson, a pediatric neuropsychologist on College Ave. in Oakland. We had him do a full neuropsych evaluation for our son (ADHD and LD) when he was 13 yrs old and it was the best money we ever spent. He came highly recommended to us from a number of sources and we weren't disappointed. Extremely thorough and personable. After many years of struggling to figure out exactly what was challenging our son, we finally had a very clear picture of his strengths and weaknesses, along with excellent recommendations on ways to help him. I wish we had done it sooner. Pleased Parent

Neuropsychology testing for my 5 year old

March 2011

Hello, I'm looking for some input from Mom's & Dad's about neuropsychology testing for my 5 year old son. Do you have someone you have used? Did you like them and would you recommend them? Any information would be helpful. I will travel for a good doctor. Thank you.

Our family has recently had our son assessed with Dr. Kristin Gross in Albany. She is excellent - intelligent, keen insight and kind. She provided excellent recommendations on school strategies, as well(510)530-1676 East Bay Mom

We saw Carolyn Johnson several years ago. She is obviously very capable but I felt she was way too busy to follow through on anything. The draft of the report came four months after the testing.The report depended very heavily on pooled statements from previous reports, some of which were quite out of date. I had given them to her with the expectation that she'd talk to the people who had been working with my child since the reports were written, but she did not contact them before she wrote the draft. She did after I insisted that she do so, but at that point their comments were tacked on rather than integrated into her conclusions. With regard to the testing, there seemed to be relatively little analysis of the data; the narrative was more a line by line explanation of what the various categories of testing were. In short, it didn't seem very specific to my child. The final recommendations were simply to continue with what we were already doing, which while perhaps wise on her part, made me wonder why I had put my child through three days of testing and spent 5000 dollars.

She did come speak to my child's teachers once after the report but they quickly forgot about her suggestions. I did tell her the suggestions were not being implemented, but I didn't set up another meeting and I don't think she contacted them again; I think we were both just done.

When I went to pick my child from the testing, I heard her asking multiple choice questions, including, ''Do you think of killing yourself often, seldom, never at all?'' My child was six years old! To some of these multiple choice questions my child would say, ''I wouldn't think of it that way'' or ''none of those answers seem right,'' and she would just say, ''You have to choose one'' rather than finding out what my child was in fact thinking. I wished I had saved the money we paid her and spent them on people who would actually have worked with my child. anon

Neuro-psychologists - has anyone worked with these?

May 2010

We are looking into neuro-psych testing for our nine year- old. Insurance would cover the following doctors. We were wondering if anybody has worked with them, in particular the field of ADHD-PI and difficulty with working memory/text generation: Charlotte Crawford, Mary Heller or David Pingitore.

Unfortunately, we did not have a good experience with Dr. Pingitore. He may be known to be competent in his testing abilities and have a generally solid reputation, but he was cold as ice and interactions were very, very awkward--not the kind of nurturing environment you would want for your child, I imagine. In addition, the final report he delivered based on his evaluation--although ultimately helpful--was riddled with typos and biographical errors. We would go elsewhere, if we had it to do over again. -Anon

Neuropsych evaluation for 6-y-o - worth it?

April 2010

I have an almost 6 year old who, well, has always had issues in the emotional regulation and social skills department. My pediatrician suggested yesterday that maybe its time we pursue a formal neuropsych evaluation. Social situations have always been difficult: in his toddler years he never wanted to play with other kids, always preferred to play alone, still has a hard time reading social cues and has a hard time with the reciprocity of interaction and sometimes personal space. Even now, I'm a little tense when there's social interactions because my son's history doesn't fill me with confidence that it will go well. Emotionally, he's volatile. Recently we've seen some improvements in his behavior mostly because I have found some good tools to use (from a center whose clientele is primarily those with ASD).On the flip side, he is a very charming, intelligent boy (even though I just made him sound like a miserable one) and again, is making some improvements. So I'm really on the fence about a neuropsych evaluation because 1)it's extraordinarily expensive and we'd have to get help to pay for it and 2)his behaviors are not SO obvious all the time - he would never qualify for services at his school so what's the point? and 3)I worry that the evaluation process would make him feel like something was wrong with him - he's already incredibly self-conscious. At the same time, I need whatever help I can get. Thank you for your thoughts - sorry for the longwindedness. anon

My 6 year old son just completed a neuropsych evaluation. I haven't gotten the results back yet, but I'm very glad I did it (although our insurance covered most of the cost). The behaviors you describe are worth investigating. The results of the evaluation are just more information that you can use to provide the best support for your son. Early intervention is always better than later intervention. Also, you may find that you can use the results to qualify for some accommodation at school (you may find learning issues that you didn't know were there). My son enjoyed the evaluation. I framed it as just a series of doctor visits to see how his mind was growing - just like getting weighed and measured at his yearly well check. He loved the experience. My son knows that he has some social challenges (same issues you mention). We talk about it all the time, even though heC,bd rather not, because I donC,bt want it to be some big, bad thing that he should feel shame about. I try to frame it as just one of the things that makes him who he is and that we can work on. Finally, donC,bt underestimate the amount of energy you are putting into dealing with your sonC,bs behavior. My situation might be a lot worse than yours, but if you are like me, you are living in a storm (the emotional volatility) and have gotten used to it. Anything you can do to improve your sonC,bs behavior, even in small increments, will pay off for both of you. Feel free to email me. anon

Hi I am married to a child neuropsychologist. The cost is expensive and well worth it. The time spent with your child and giving you a snapshot of where he is at and a game plan to move forward and make progress is priceless.The children I see leaving the office are often laughing and have had a good time. Sure there is lots of work involved but a child neuropsychologist knows how to incorperate play and work to get the best for your child. My wife might not be the right person for you in which case she would refer you to the right therapist. Make sure you have your questions written down and answered as you interview your prospective neuropsychologist. It can take my wife a couple of days to answer your phone call. It's best to email her with any questions and then set up a phone appointment. She is located in Lafayette just minutes from Berkeley. Good Luck Jacques Dr. Elea Bernou

We had a neuropsych eval done for our 4.5yr old son and then later when he was eleven. We found it tremedously helpful. The neuropsychologist Dr. Grandison of Berkeley (used to work at Children's when they provided this service) took time to explain what it can tell us, what it can't, what the results mean, etc. She made it interesting and challenging for our son both time w/ good breaks. Our son wa diagnosed w/ ADHD and learning/sensory disorders. We were able to use it for getting help at school though it was a big struggle nevertheless. But sometimes these struggles can be well worth it with the right expertise and support. Special ed. attorney and mom of special needs child Jean Adams of www.Adamsesq.com was our tool to get our son through the system. I did not wait to get authorization through my insurance so it was a lot of money; we took it off as medical expenses. Still worth it. We wish we got the second neuro eval sooner and took on an attorney sooner. So much struggle and grief. Now, our son is doing well with what we have set up and he's happier. My new motto is ''never say never.'' We've learned a lot through this process. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to talk things over- parent-to-parent. Monica

Psych evaluation for gifted 6 year old

March 2010

We need a psyche evaluation for our 6 year old kindergartener who also happens to be gifted. The school is requesting the evaluation based on some behavioral issues at school. We want to use a psychologist who is very familiar with gifted patients so that we get an accurate assessment. We've read and heard that giftedness can often be overlooked resulting in incorrect findings of ADD or ADHD, etc... We'd like information on Terry (Teresa) Doyle in Oakland and/or Daniel Peters in Walnut Creek. anonymous

We wanted an evaluation of our gifted son and used Lisa White, PhD. (she did her dissertation of gifted kids). We were so pleased and helped by her evaluation and recommendations that we then had our second child tested. It's critical to have testing done by someone familiar with gifted issues. Dr. White works with Dr. Peters at Summit Center in Walnut Creek. I highly recommend them. Kathleen

We've worked with Terry Doyle in Oakland and recommend her highly. She is thorough, experienced, and insightful. I would trust her to approach each child with an open mind, without jumping to any conclusions, and to identify your child's strengths as well as challenges. She has a warm, gentle manner and relates well to people of all ages. a mom

I can enthusiastically recommend Carina Grandison at Children's Hospital -- she did a very perceptive evaluation for us that has been useful for understanding our child for years afterwards.

For a less expensive alternative you might try the Ann Martin Center. We recently had a quite good experience with Andrea Miller there.

Read the final report carefully 2 or 3 times -- it can take a while for information to sink in. Good luck! Been there

Neuropsychology evaluation for teen with ADD

March 2010

My son was diagnosed with ADD about 1 1/2 years ago. He has tried several medications but still has difficulty concentrating in school. His psychologist has suggested a neuropsychology evaluation to uncover any underying learning problems. I'm looking for a psychologist who is good with teenage boys. Any suggestions? My son is also open to the idea of seeing a education specialist; someone who can help him with planning and organizational skills. Time management is a big issue. Any recommendations? We live near Berkeley. Thank you for your help. parent of teenage boy

Dr. Jack Davis can be reached at 510-693-8439. I have known his work for nearly 15 years. He is insightful and thorough in his evaluation. He is respectful and extremely helpful. Good luck! Marianne, Educational Therapist

2007 - 2009 Recommendations

Nov 2009

Re: Gifted 9th grader with possible AHDH
Our daughter is exceptionally bright with a myriad of learning differences including ADHD. She too is in High School but was diagnosed earlier. She is on Concerta. I fought against putting her on medication for many years however she asked for them in 8th Grade and I honored her request. It has helped exhorbitantly. She can focus more in class and I don't think she could navigate her High School classes without it. She has few side effects. Some headaches the first few weeks of taking it but she says that they disappeared after her body adjusted.

What is most important though is that your son truly understands how his brain works. To that end, I can't say enough about Dr. Teresa Doyle. She is a neuropsychologist who has a unique insight to kids with learning differences and she and her staff after testing are able to discuss with you and your son his strengths and weaknesses. As a psychologist, she can offer counseling as well.

After filtering through and administering more tests, what she also can do is a project with your son that helps explain to him and to his teachers his learning differences. By presenting this himself, he at that point will become his own and best self advocate. Projects can be anything from artwork, to a written and bound book, to a power point (my daughter's choice) or anything that your son and Terry decide on. As an example, my daughter's Power Point has been shown for the last two years to her teachers with great success. With a little ''tweaking'' it can even be shown to professors in College.

I know if you have a diagnosis, you have already had some tests administered and interpreted (we did too) but I still think you should contact Terry. She is on College Ave and her number is 510- 594-1926. She is pretty amazing.

Dr. Caroline Johnson, Neuropsych

Oct 2009

My 5-1/2 year old kindergarten daughter will meet with Dr. Caroline Johnson for a neuropsychological assesment soon. I have seen some older posts on parents experience with Dr. Johnson, but want to hear from someone whose children were recently evaluated by her. Are you satisfied with her assessment? Does it help you in understanding your child's needs, obtaining services from the school district.. etc? Any comment is appreciated. AH

My son has seen Dr. Johnson three times over the years and she has always been really helpful, compassionate, and professional. She is well regarded in the community and we were told by many people that she's particularly good with working with kids who don't necessarily fall into a neat diagnostic category. Happy with Dr. Johnson

Neuropsych testing for 10-year-old

Oct 2009

Looking for someone covered under Blue Shield for neuropsych testing for my 10 year old. oakland mom

Jack Fahey at Herrick Hospital is very good for this. Phone # 204-4570. You need to have Fahey's assistant get it pre- approved by Blue Shield and if possible, get it classified as a medical issue (e.g. assessing for brain dysfuntion). Otherwise, you may need to go through Blue Shield's mental health provision, which can be more difficult. anon

I recommend Dr. Alex Peterson in Oakland for neuropsych testing - he was thorough, very kind, and put our child at ease during the 3 days of testing. His conclusions were correct, and addressed learning style as well as special needs, psych issues, and even eye-tracking - which led us to take my kid to UCB opthomology clinic to get some much-needed eye-tracking retraining! Dr. P. gave us a lot of time and care, and even re- did certain tests because he felt my child was upset one day and did not test accurately. I have Blue Cross/Anthem PPO and it was covered to some extent, but he was with Children's Hospital then (which is not a preferred provider) and now is in private practice. Call and ask them if he is a preferred provider now. Good luck. glad we finally did the testing

Dr. Carina Grandison and Dr. Alex Peterson are neuropsychologists I would recommend without reservation. They are both extremely competent, thorough and sensitive. Both Dr. Grandison and Dr. Peterson were formerly at Children's Hospital, and have great depth of experience which informs their interpretations and recommendations. They follow clients through transitions, including to college and work and work collaboratively with allied professionals. Dr. Grandison: 510-499-6462; Dr. Peterson: 510-531-0500. Linda L

Neuropsychologist to do testing for under-10 year old

Jan 2009

I am looking for recommendation on Neuropsychologist to do testing and evaluation with expertise on children under 10 Years of age. I have a list of names, but don't know any of them. Appreciate any information on any of the doctors listed below. Dr. Mary Heller Oakland, Charlotte Crawford Berkeley, Gregory Alter Berkeley, Antonia Bercovici Berkeley, Lori Wensley San Francisco, Kathleen Fahrner San Francisco,Tom Hall San Mateo, Henry Hoey Livermore. Thank you F.

I recommend Cynthia Peterson, Ph.D. and Chi Johnson, Ph.D. 510-843-2005. They are excellent and from my experience will follow through with the school as well. Neuropsychologist Recommendation

How about Diane Kosters in Walnut Creek. Diane tested our 8 yo son last year and did a great job. Not only make our son feel welcome she also gave us a working report that has been very helpful. Not only did we get a clear diagnosis but we got a plan of action. Good Luck, a thankful parent anon

Neuropsychologist to evaluate 12 year old

June 2007

We need to get a neuropsychological evaluation for our 12 year old son. Our insurance (healthnet) may cover it, but the only people they are contracted with are: John Fahy, Sonya Lifshay, Leonard Price, Michael Rodevich, and Michael Weber. I know nothing about any of them-has anyone seen any of these psychologists, and do you have any feedback? Thank you!

We had a full neuro-psych eval. done for our son by Jack Fahey. He is an exceptionally caring, objective, and bright person. I can recommend him highly. He gave me a lot of time to understand any questions I had. Very thorough and highly competent. anon.

We had a good experience with John Fahy, who did a neuropsych eval on our 13-year-old a few years ago. He was thorough, yet made the experience quite enjoyable for our child, and produced a clear, comprehensible report. anon

Of the Neuropsychologists you mentioned (my partner has worked with all of them at Herrick), Jack Fahy has the most expertise with children. He is a good guy. Sonia has retired. This is not the group that most folks would consult with for school related issues, but they are all good with the medical/psychological part of the picture. Melanie

2004 - 2006 Recommendations

Neuropsychologist for autistic spectrum disorder

March 2006

We'd like feedback on the neuropsychologists who have been recommended to us: Alex Peterson, Kristin Gross, Cynthia Peterson, and Carolyn Johnson (and any others you may really like). This is for an evaluation of a preschooler with an autistic spectrum disorder -- we need very specific and clear recommendations re education and treatment. Thank you. Anonymous

I really like Cynthia Peterson and Chi Johnson. They are good at follow-up, both in person and on the phone and will advocate at the school as well. anon mom

Neuropsychologist for 16 yr old

Oct 2005

My 16 year old daughter needs to have a neuropsychological evaluation. We are new to the area and have no idea where to look. She has a history of cognitive problems due to a childhood onset of Multiple Sclerosis and I know I will need this exam to help her get the accommodations she needs for standardized testing like the SAT's. If anyone knows of a competent, reasonable neuropsychologist, I would really appreciate the recommendation. Thanks

Rochelle Wolk, Ph.D., is fabulous - many years of experience, thorough evaluation, and a clear report with helpful recommendations. Her office number is 510-658-7445. anon

You have a terrific Neuropsychologist right in Berkeley. Her name is Dr. Elea Bernou, (925) 457-4214. She lives in Berkeley, may practice in Walnut Creek. She's very compassionate and really well trained. My husband saw her recently and was very impressed. Her specialty is children and teens. Julie

Psychologist for special education evaluation

May 2005

My child is an elementary school student at Berkeley Unified. The school district completed a very shoddy special education evaluation of her, relying primarily on the work of a student intern. We have requested a second evaluation and we have been given a selection of four outside assessors. Does anyone know anything about: Cheryl Jacques, Caroline Johnson, Vincent Nunno or Teresa Doyle. Thank you.

Theresa Doyle is one of the best people in the bay area for this sort of thing. You really can't do any better -- but you might have to wait. Sometimes she's booked far in advance because she is so good. She is quite experienced, incredibly smart, very warm and compassionate. She will give you feedback you can use and she will connect well with your child. I have worked with her professionally in various capacities and I also hear nothing but good things about her from other people. Good Luck! Diane

I have worked with Dr. Teresa Doyle for a neuropsychological assessment for one of my own children, as well as some of the clients I have worked with in my private practice. She is excellent, and has a long waiting list. She may be worth waiting for, however. Her reports are thorough, her approach to parents and children respectful, kind, and in the spirit of discovery vs. pathology. Her reports have helped me both personally and professionally know more about a child: how they tick cognitively and emotionally, and what specific interventions would be useful.

Another neuropsychologist I have found to both work well with clients and parents, and who writes good reports is Dr. Alex Peterson at Children's Hospital, Oakland. Laura

Welcome to the special ed maze. You don't have to choose from the school district's list, which is another story. (You might want to consult a special education advocate.) However, I've heard Dr. Vincent Nunno speak and describe his work, and I was impressed enough that I'd trust him to do a thorough, accurate evaluation. Betsy

Neuropsych evaluation for 11-y-o

March 2005

We just received our 11-year-old daughter's standardized test scores and were a bit dismayed at the results. Upon further checking, we've realized that every year since second grade her scores have been declining. Her vocabulary score was very low. Our family therapist has advised a comprehensive neuropsych evaluation (including IQ test) to help us determine whether she may have learning disabilities of some sort. He recommended Dr. Kristine Gross at CHO. We were wondering whether anyone has had personal experience with Dr. Gross or CHO.

As we've been trying to get up to speed on this new development, we feel like we are getting more confused than anything else. Some people say a neuropsych eval is recommended if your child has had a head injury (ours has not). Others say some neuropsych evals don't look at emotional issues that may also have a bearing on learning issues. We were under the impression that a neuropsych eval was a specific set of tests, but apparently that is not true. Different practitioners might do different tests and potentially interpret the results in different ways. The level of training also can vary from one practitioner to another. As the process involves a big time commitment and a lot of money, we want to make sure we are seeing the right person for our daughter. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who may have been through this. What should we look for? What kinds of questions should we ask? What should we expect in the final report? Thanks in advance to anyone who may have something to share. anonymous

I haven't heard of that neuropsychologist, but have a lot of experience working with Caren Kovar, Ph.D. who is located at the Childrens' Health Council at Stanford. She is excellent. Deborah

I am a school psychologist. I do not know of the clinician from CHO you mention, but in graduate school I did have some superivision with Carolyn Johnson, Ph.D., who was with CHO and now is in private practice. She was incredibly astute, dedicated, and thorough and had a wonderful style with her child clients. I continue to hear good things about her. One thing you may have already learned is that there is a long waiting list at CHO, as well as for most private clinicians (sometimes 3 to 6 months).

Neuropsychologist for dyslexia

Feb 2005

Does anyone have any experience with neuropsychologists Cynthia Peterson or Dr. Robert Solley? They both apparently assess children. My child shows some signs of possibly being dyslexic, and has some auditory processing and memory issues. I don't know if this is the way to go or if we should be working with a educational therapist. Thanks for any information regarding your experience with these people, any other neuropsychologists you have worked with, and the assessment process. Many Thanks

Our son was recently diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and he also has dyslexia, dysgraphia and processing issues. His neuropsych assessment was done by Dr. Alex Peterson at the Neuropsychology Assessment Service of Children's Hospital Oakland. We were very pleased with the assessment. Dr. Peterson gave us lots of information about our son and recommendations for his care and education including names and numbers of recommended educational therapists and other providers. Unfortunately, the wait time to get the appointments for the assessment was several months and it was not covered by our insurance. Dr. Peterson's phone number is (510) 428-3885 ext. 2809 Good luck

2003 & Earlier

Neuropsychologists for ADHD Assessment

Feb 2000

Can anyone recommend a neuropsychologist for assessment? My almost-12 year old has ADHD, a learning disability, and is highly gifted. I feel it important to find someone who understands all of these conditions and their interaction, since they seem to mask and compensate for each other. I don't think the school has a handle on what he needs and I know his teacher doesn't, since she ignores his special ed plan. I've read the Parents' list recommendations for ADHD assessment, and note that Brad Berman is highly recommended, is he appropriate for this? A knowledgeable professional has recommended Bob Kaufman, so I'm inclined to pursue that - anyone have experience with him? Children's gave me the names of Corinna Grandison and Theresa Doyle, any experience with them? I'm not even sure what's entailed compared to a psychoeducational assessment (which he's had). How much does this cost? I've heard $1000-2500. Dana

Myla Young, PhD. She was a teacher of mine and not only a wonderful neuropsypchologist, but a warm, down to earth person. jennifer

I highly recommend Carina Grandison. She is bright, thoughtful, and very sensative to children and parents equally. She has great understanding of children, development, and how they are effected by learning environments. She will be able to discuss your child's needs and make recommentations for home, school settings and learning stragegies. I work with Carina and have been privilidged to part of a number of her neuropsychological assessments of some very complex children. Afterwords, everyone involved with these children had a much better sense of their strengths, struggles, and the strategies they use to cope, as well as some ideas for helping them manage in school and at home. I think you will be pleased with her and her work.

I know Teresa Doyle professionally very well and I would highly recommend her. She is one of the very best Child Neuropsychologist's in the Bay Area and your child would be fortunate to have an assessment with her. She can be extremely busy and you may be put on a waiting list for a long time. Her Psychological Assistant, Michelle Horton is also excellent and I would highly recommend her if Terry doesn't have time. I would easity recommend a friend of family member to either one of them. Sharon