Neuropsychological and Educational Testing
A neuropsychological evaluation is a helpful tool for assessing diagnosis and prognosis of a variety of neurological, psychiatric, and learning disorders. The testing is generally composed of a comprehensive set of norm-based assessments, questionnaire data, interviews and qualitative observations of the child culminating in a thorough picture of individual strengths and areas of challenge. Our evaluations address both academic and social/emotional components of your child. The results are critical in developing an Individual Education Plan (IEP), 504 plans and school and testing accommodations.
The results are shared through a parent feedback and a comprehensive report. We often meet with parents and educators to help make decisions about appropriate school placement, the need for services and supports, and specific strategies to help your child succeed. At the Gold Center, we also meet with adolescents and adults to give feedback about their strengths and weaknesses. The Gold Center is unique because we can tailor evaluations based on specific recommendations from our psychiatrists and therapists. The entire treatment team will make recommendations on how to best tailor an evaluation to meet the needs of a particular child and adolescent.
We have veteran school psychologists who are available to help manage the relationship between the family and school. Often, schools request “testing” but what they actually want is a thorough evaluation and do not need a long report. Our school psychologists can foster necessary communication and clarify concerns with the school while maintaining appropriate privacy. Our school psychologists are also skilled at helping schools to implement recommendations from the neuropsychological evaluations.
Our psychologists are flexible in their approach. We can modify testing when questions and concerns are very narrow.
Genetic Testing
We offer a genetic test to help the clinician to customize your medication needs. The test looks at the key genes in your body’s DNA that affect how a psychiatric medication may work for you. It is not needed for all patients, but can be a helpful tool when medications do not work or when patients experience side effects from medication. We work closely with Genomind to customize a medication plan. The results are used in conjunction with medical history to improve medication success. We also offer a genetic panel for risk factors and genetic variations across health and wellness. This panel can be helpful in developing a comprehensive wellness plan that incorporates mental and physical health.
Our psychiatrists are trained to offer medication consultations during prenatal, perinatal and post partum periods. We are happy to work in collaboration with a current psychiatrist. We also offer an array of services that help parents prepare for pregnancy, manage pregnancy and adjust to parenthood. The Gold Center is unique in offering services to both mother and children. As pediatric subspecialists, we are trained to see parents together with their babies and toddlers. We are happy to provide early childhood assessments and diagnose when needed. Often, adult clinicians do not feel comfortable addressing attachment and assessing healthy development. We often assess development in babies and toddlers and work with parents to address parenting challenges that arise with young children.
