Project Description
Follow-up Services
We provide our clients with comprehensive neuropsychological reports, but families may wish to attend follow up meetings to clarify plans and goals for intervention. We have found that children and teens are more likely to “buy into” intervention plans if they are included in the planning and decision making. For those interested, we offer the following services:
In these sessions, which are scheduled 1-3 weeks after the evaluation is completed, the psychologist who completed the evaluation goes over the test results with the student. A strong emphasis is placed on clarifying the student’s strengths, and every effort is made to explain the areas of weakness in a way that is straightforward, supportive, and empowering. In our view, two critical components of success in school and life are self-understanding and the ability to advocate for oneself. Helping children understand how their brain works facilities the process of self-understanding and commonly increases their motivation to do the things that will maximize their potential for success.
The feedback session for the student is then followed by a brief meeting with the parents and the student together. This allows the psychologist to clarify any remaining issues, to discuss priorities for intervention, and to help the student and his/her parents map out both short-term and long-term plans.
Age: Appropriate for students from fourth grade through college
Fee: Psychologist’s usual hourly fee per 60 minute hour
Meeting time: 30 to 75 minutes
In these follow-up meetings, which are scheduled approximately three months after the written report is received, the parents meet with the psychologist or one our educational consultants to answer any questions about the report, solidify their understanding of what was learned and recommended,
integrate any new information, and focus on prioritizing recommendations over the long run. We know that many parents feel overloaded by the tremendous amount of information that is presented in the interpretative conference and in the written report – and thus benefit from a brief follow-up conference. This meeting is intended to offer intellectual and emotional support, as well as to assist parents in creating an effective treatment plan.
Fee: Psychologist’s usual hourly fee per 60 minute hour
Average time: 1 to 2 hours
Parents frequently ask about the need for updated neuropsychological testing and about the optimal timing for re-evaluations. Here are the relevant points in regards to re-assessment.
- 12-Month Follow-up to Re-Assess Academic Achievement: For some families, it is very clear that an academic intervention is working well after a few weeks or months. For other families, it is not so clear, either because the changes are not as dramatic or because the parents are not receiving reliable feedback from school personnel and/or other treating professionals. Yet, it is important to understand if we are on the right track or if we need to tweak the current treatment modalities or change course altogether. Therefore, if there are questions about a student’s progress, we invite the student to come back for a half-day follow-up assessment of his or her academic skills one year after his or her initial evaluation. During this session we re-administer the educational test battery (using alternate forms of the tests) and any questionnaires and behavioral rating scales that will provide important information. At the same time that we schedule this testing appointment, we schedule a parent feedback conference with the psychologist who conducted your original evaluation to discuss the follow-up test results and the appropriate treatment plan.Feedback conference: The psychologist’s usual hourly fee per 60 minute hourAverage time for the meeting: 1.25 – 2.0 hours
- Documenting the need for accommodations and/or school services: For public school students with Individualized Educational Plans (IEP), and for many students in private schools, re-evaluations are required every three years in order to provide updated documentation for accommodations and/or special services. In regards to obtaining accommodations for standardized college aptitude tests such as the SAT or the ACT, the testing used to document the need for accommodations must be conducted within five years of the standardized testing date.
- Other times and reasons to reassess:In our experience, re-evaluations can also be very useful if (a) if a student has an accident, injury, or illness that affects or may affect the brain, (b) students are making transitions, e.g. from elementary to middle school, middle to high school or high school to post high school or college, and (c) if parents and/or a student are not satisfied with the progress being made or have other quality of life issues.Fee: The prevailing rate for the basic neuropsychological evaluation at the time of re-evaluation
Age: Appropriate for students from fourth grade through college
Fee: Psychologist’s usual hourly fee per 60 minute hour
Meeting time: 30 to 75 minutes
Contact and Location
Phone: 301-565-0534
Fax:301-565-2217
OFFICE LOCATION
8720 Georgia Avenue,
Silver Spring, MD 20910