ADHD (Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder)
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (also known as ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests with problems paying attention, excessive activity and difficulty to control behavior, impulsive, with an intensity not generally appropriate for the person's age or context.
Usually, symptoms appear before the person is 12 years old, tend to cause problems in different settings (ex. home, gym, school) and last for several months. Among children the consequences of ADHD emerge as poor school performance, requiring extra care from the family.
In adulthood, the type of ADHD is mainly highlighted by distraction (inattentive type) and poor work performance, while in children is mainly agitation. Once the tests are done and the results ready, we are able to provide clear interventions that helps learn successful coping mechanisms.
In general, a comprehensive assessment for ADHD is so structured:
- Tests time: 4 - 8 hours (1 - 3 sessions, depending on needs):
- Structured clinical interview
- Specialty tests (including computer-aided assessments)
- Cognitive tests
- Tests for Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Feedback session to discuss test results
- Suggested intervention based on test's results
- Parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Psychological report ready for pick up in 6 - 10 business days.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost. Before we schedule your tests we verify your benefits and inform you of any cost (ex. deductibles).
Autism Spectrum
Autism is a developmental disorder caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, that manifests with difficulties in social interaction, reduced ability to create and sustain relationships, repetitive and often restricted movements (or in general behavior) and rigid mental thinking. It is often diagnosed during early childhood, in general by the age of two, although a person can be diagnosed with autism at any age. Symptoms develop gradually, and research has shown that children who are provided with the proper help tend to have a better outcome.
Learn more.
Standard steps for an evaluation to assess th presence of ASD:
- Test time: 11 - 16 hours (2 - 4 sessions) depending on needs and severity of symptoms
- Structured clinical interview
- Cognitive tests including computer-generated tests (as appropriate)
- Tests for Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Feedback session to discuss test results
- Suggested intervention based on test's results
- Parental coaching, as appropriate (1 session)
- Social skill training, as appropriate (1 session)
- No waiting list and Psychological Report ready for pick up in 7 - 10 business days.
Based on needs and test results we can provide a complete Neuropsychological evaluation eventually in conjunction with a psychiatrist and a neurologist.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost. Before we schedule your tests we verify your benefits and inform you of any cost (ex. deductibles).
Intellectual and Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities, LD (used interchangeably with Intellectual disabilities, ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired cognitive and adaptive skills (executive functions).
Often people who have intellectual disabilities tend to have an IQ index below 70 with deficits in every day's adaptive behavior (ex. self-care).
Once considered exclusively a cognitive delay or impairment, it is now explored as affecting broad mental functioning (ex. working memory). Learn more
We provide general and specific (math and reading) intellectual and learning disability evaluation:
| 1 - General Evaluation of LD | 2 - Math related difficulties | 3 - Reading difficulties |
1 - General evaluation of learning disabilities.
- Test time: 10 - 12 hours (2 - 4 sessions), depending on the severity
- Structured clinical interview
- Specialty tests (including computer-aided assessments)
- Multiple cognitive tests
- Specific tests for Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Suggested intervention based on test's results;
- Feedback session for test results
- Parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Social skill training (1 session, as needed)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 8 - 12 business days.
2 - Specific evaluation of learning difficulties related to math and the use of numbers.
- Test timing 10 - 12 hours (2 - 4 sessions, depending on needs):
- Structured clinical interview, specialty tests (including computer-aided assessments);
- Multiple Cognitive tests
- Tests for specific Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening;
- Feed session with intervention recommendations
- Parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Social skill training (1 session, as needed)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 8 - 12 business days.
3 - Specific evaluation of learning difficulties related to reading and the use of words (including meaning and pronunciation).
- Testing time: 10 - 12 hours (2 - 4 session, depending on severity):
- Structured clinical interview
- Specialty tests (including computer-aided assessments);
- Multiple Cognitive tests
- Tests for specific Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Feedback session with intervention recommendations
- Parental coaching, as appropriate (1 session)
- Social skill training, as appropriate (1 session)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 8 - 12 business days.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost. Before we schedule your tests we verify your benefits and inform you of any cost (ex. deductibles).
Communication disorder
A communication disorder affects a person's ability to recognize, understand or use language and speech to initiate or sustain discussions with other people. The disorder can range from mild to severe, and may include difficulty with sound discrimination, impairment to understand language,
Symptoms can be present in both speech and language or just in one domain and tend to interfere with the person's quality of life.
It is important to note that the definition of communication disorder from a psychological and psychiatric perspective (DSM) differs from the way it is defined by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.
Psychological tests to identify the specific type of communication disorder can shed light on the proper intervention to follow, to reduce the level of impairment and improve quality of life. In case of severe impairment and based on the individual's test scores we provide specific recommendations to guide the family or the primary caregiver. Learn more
- Test time: 10 - 12 hours (2 - 4 sessions, depending on severity)
- Structured clinical interview
- Specialty tests (including computer-aided assessments)
- Multiple Cognitive subtests
- Tests for Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Feedback session with parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Social skill training (1 session, as needed)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 6 - 10 business days.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost.
Conduct Disorder
A conduct disorder is a mental disorder usually diagnosed in childhood and often present during adolescence, consisting of repetitive behavioral patterns in which rights of others and generally accepted norms are violated.
Some experts tend to consider conduct disorder as a precursor of a more serious condition called antisocial personality disorder although the link between the two pathologies is not commonly endorsed.
The faster the parents decide to seek professional help the higher the chance to prevent a more pervasive behavior that if left untreated will risk to have serious consequences in the life of the child, likely during the teens years (ex. academic problems, behavioral misconduct, higher likelihood of violence and fights, poor job performance).
Often children with conduct disorder have some kind of learning difficulty. Research seems to point to intelligence and cognitive deficits as part of the symptomatology, particularly among teens with early-onset, with an IQ lower than the average peer group. As of 2013, in the US the number of children diagnosed with conduct disorder is close to 5.1 millions. Learn More
- Test time: 10 - 12 hours (2 - 4 sessions, depending on severity)
- Structured clinical interview
- Specialty tests (including computer aided assessments)
- Multiple Cognitive subtests
- Tests for Learning Disabilities
- Tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening
- Feedback sessions with Parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Social skill training (1 session, as needed)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 6 - 12 business days.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost.
Pre-surgery Psychological Evaluation
The evaluation is a standard procedure to explore with the patient his/her preparedness, knowledge of the illness, potential plans for the post-op period and how the surgery will improve his/her life, along with the many opportunities it will bring.
The patient meets with our doctor (a psychologist) for an initial meeting (clinical interview) which focuses on current behavior, present and past psychiatric symptoms, his/her understanding of the upcoming surgery.
Then complete psychological tests are presented to the patient that are usually completed during the same visit, providing an objective measure of the patient's psychological status and his/her readiness for the surgery. Learn more
Most common situations to obtain a pre-surgery evaluation include the following:
- Bariatric surgery (ex. lap-band, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve)
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Brain stimulation
- Knee replacement
- Hip replacement
- Brain surgery (ex. Tuberous Sclerosis)
- Cosmetic surgery (ex. breast implant)
- Eye surgery (ex. Cataract)
- General surgery (ex. lower back pain surgery, hemorrhoidectomy, prostatectomy)
In general, a pre-surgery evaluation is so structured:
- Testing time: 2 - 6 hours
- Clinical interview
- Review of previous medical records
- General evaluation
- Feedback session as needed
- Report faxed to your surgeon in 2 - 4 business days
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost.
Emotional and behavioral evaluation
A Psychological evaluation secondary to emotional and behavioral concerns is a one of the most valid and straightforward way to measure for personality disorders that risk to remain hidden and to endanger a person;s opportunities in life.
Oftentimes behavioral problems are linked to cognitive difficulties (ex. memory, anger, comprehension) and while psychotherapy provides relief to most common problems, it is only with an in-depth exploration of its limits and a valid measure of its spread.
Establishing a diagnosis and identifying the underlying issues in the case of a psychiatric problem allows psychologists and psychiatrists to target those conditions by generating a treatment plan that emphasizes on the strengths of the person while empowering him/her with tools that will create lifelong behavioral and cognitive changes. Learn more
- Comprehensive:
- 9 - 13 hours, depending on the severity of the symptoms
- Structured clinical interview, specialty tests (including computer aided assessments);
- Cognitive tests;
- Tests of behavioral measure
- Specialty tests for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Complete Neuropsychological screening;
- Parental coaching (1 session, as appropriate)
- Social skill training (1 session, as needed)
- Report ready for pick up or by mail in 8 - 12 business days.
We accept most health insurance plans (including Medi-Cal) and your insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost.