Testing
Curiosity about the inner workings of your child’s mind is a deep expression of a parent’s love.
Neuropsychological evaluation (also known as testing) is a way to learn about your child’s strengths and challenges while also determining the most helpful accommodations and support. Testing helps parents better help their kids and offers kids an opportunity to better understand themselves and their learning. If your child or young adult has trouble reading or learning, staying focused, making friends, or controlling their bodies and emotions, a thorough evaluation can identify the correct diagnosis and give you a clear path forward.
At Mind Chicago, we offer 5 types of evaluations:
Comprehensive Neuropsychological
Neuropsychological Consultation
Dyslexia/Early Reading
Young Adult ADHD
Young Adult Autism
What is a Comprehensive Neuropsychological Evaluation?
For parents of school-age children
(Ages 4 to 18)
The evaluation process is individually based and dependent upon the age of your child. The steps include:
Parent/Guardian Intake Meeting: You meet with your child’s neuropsychologist prior to the testing to understand your concerns and the questions you would like testing to help answer about your child.
Connecting with School and Service Providers: With your permission, your neuropsychologist will contact your child’s teachers and care providers (e.g., pediatrician, therapist, tutor, etc.) to gain a full perspective of your child’s day-to-day life and challenges.
Testing sessions: The neuropsychologist administers tests to your child. There are typically 2-3 testing sessions for a total of 6-9 hours. Which tests are administered depends on the presenting concerns specific to your child.
Parent/Guardian Results Meeting: You meet with your child’s doctor to go over results from the evaluation and discuss diagnoses and recommendations.
Child Results Meeting: Dependent upon your child’s age, you may wish to have your child meet with their doctor to review some of the key results.
Written Report: A detailed report will be provided to you within 2-3 weeks following the Results Meeting. At your request, a copy can be sent to third parties such as to a pediatrician, therapist, or school official.
Post-evaluation School Meeting: Following the evaluation, you can share the report with your child’s school to access educational services or accommodations. Your child’s neuropsychologist will attend one post-evaluation meeting with you and school staff, which may be an IEP, 504 Plan, or other staffing meeting.
For young adults
(Ages 18 to 25)
The evaluation process is individually based and includes the following steps:
Intake Meeting: You meet with your neuropsychologist prior to the testing to understand your concerns and the questions you would like testing to help answer about yourself.
Connecting with Parents, Partners, and/or Service Providers: With your permission, your neuropsychologist will contact your parents, partner, and/or care providers (e.g., therapist, tutor, etc.) to gain a full perspective of your childhood history and day-to-day life.
Testing sessions: The neuropsychologist administers tests to you. There are typically 2 testing sessions for a total of 6-8 hours. Which tests are administered depends on your presenting concerns.
Results Meeting: You meet with your doctor to go over results from the evaluation and discuss diagnoses and recommendations, which may include accommodations for college and standardized testing.
Written Report: A detailed report will be provided to you within 2-3 weeks following the Results Meeting. At your request, a copy can be sent to third parties such as to a parent or therapist.
What is a Neuropsychological Consultation?
After a review of educational and medical records, a parent intake, interviews with teachers and other providers, and completion of parent and teacher questionnaires about your child’s strengths and challenges, your neuropsychologist offers recommendations for educational accommodations, treatment services, and/or further evaluation.
Neuropsychological consultation may include a “second opinion” of evaluations conducted by other professionals.
(Pre-K and Kindergarten)
An Early Reading Evaluation is designed to assess your child's reading skills and identify areas where they may need support. This process typically involves a variety of assessments, including phonemic awareness, letter recognition, sight word recognition, and comprehension skills. The results can help you and your child’s teachers understand their pre-literacy skills and inform future instruction.
Early Reading Evaluation
Dyslexia Evaluation
(1st grade thru HS)
A Dyslexia Evaluation is designed to assess your child's reading skills, identify areas where they may need support, and determine if they meet criteria for a dyslexia diagnosis. This process typically involves a variety of assessments, including phonemic awareness, word reading, decoding, spelling, and comprehension skills. The results can help you and your child’s teachers understand their literacy skills and inform instruction.
Early Reading/Dyslexia Evaluation steps include:
Parent/Guardian Intake Meeting: You meet with your child’s neuropsychologist prior to the testing to understand your concerns and your child’s learning history.
Connecting with School and Service Providers: With your permission, your neuropsychologist will contact your child’s teacher to gain a fuller perspective of your child’s reading/learning challenges.
Testing session: The neuropsychologist administers tests to your child. There is 1 testing session for a total of 2-3 hours.
Parent/Guardian Results Meeting: You meet with your child’s doctor to go over results from the evaluation and discuss diagnosis and recommendations.
Written Report: A detailed report will be provided to you within 2-3 weeks following the Results Meeting.
*Post-evaluation School Meeting: Following the evaluation, you can share the report with your child’s school to access educational services or accommodations. Your child’s neuropsychologist can attend a post-evaluation meeting with you and school staff, which may be an IEP, 504 Plan, or other staffing meeting. *Additional fees apply.
What is a Young Adult ADHD evaluation?
The independence and executive functioning skills required in college and thereafter are often much greater than those needed to be a successful high school student. Sometimes children with ADHD can get by in elementary school and even high school without anyone “seeing” their struggles.
A Young Adult ADHD evaluation is focused on identifying whether you have been struggling with ADHD that has now surfaced with the increased demands of college and adulting. Briefer than a comprehensive evaluation, it’s often more accessible for busy young adults.
Young Adult ADHD evaluations include:
Interview with You: Your neuropsychologist will spend about 60-90 minutes with you to learn about your life and challenges to determine if an ADHD diagnosis matches your experience. We will also ask questions about your general mental health history, such as whether you have experienced anxiety or depression.
Interview with a Parent, Partner, and/or Other important person in your life: With your permission, your neuropsychologist will contact your parent(s), partner, and/or care providers (e.g., therapist, tutor, etc.) to gain a full perspective of your childhood history and day-to-day life.
Results Meeting: You meet with your doctor to go over results from the evaluation and discuss diagnosis and recommendations, which may include accommodations for college and standardized testing.
Brief Letter of Results Summary (at your request): If needed for school accommodations, NCAA Medical Exception Documentation, or to share results with a psychiatrist, you may request a letter summarizing your evaluation results.
What is a Young Adult ASD evaluation?
Young people with an autism spectrum disorder can sometimes be “missed” early on and are later curious if their social struggles are due to an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
A Young Adult ASD evaluation is briefer than the comprehensive and is focused on identifying whether you have been struggling with ASD.
Young Adult ASD evaluations include:
Interview with You: Your neuropsychologist will spend about 60-90 minutes with you to learn about your life and challenges to determine if an ASD diagnosis matches your experience. We will also ask questions about your general mental health history, such as whether you have experienced anxiety or depression.
Interview with a Parent, Partner, and/or Other important person in your life: With your permission, your neuropsychologist will contact your parent(s), partner, and/or care providers (e.g., therapist, tutor, etc.) to gain a full perspective of your childhood history and day-to-day life.
Testing session: The neuropsychologist administers tests to you. There is typically 1 testing session for a total of 1.5 hours. Depending on scheduling, your initial interview and testing session may occur on the same day.
Results Meeting: You meet with your doctor to go over results from the evaluation and discuss diagnoses and recommendations, which may include accommodations for college and standardized testing.
Written Report: Depending on your documentation needs, a report can be provided following the Results Meeting. Unlike the Comprehensive Neuropsychological Evaluation, this report would focused solely on whether or not you meet criteria for an ASD diagnosis.
Does testing lead to a diagnosis?
The goal of an evaluation is to learn about your child’s strengths and challenges. That said, our neuropsychologists make diagnoses when appropriate. Diagnoses can include:
Intellectual Disability
Language and motor delays
Anxiety, OCD, depression, and other mental health concerns
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Learning Disabilities, such as Dyslexia
Autism Spectrum Disorder