FAQ
What are your office hours?
MONDAY-FRIDAY: 9:00am–5:00pm
SATURDAY: occasionally available
SUNDAY: closed
What are your rates and cancellation policy?
Rates vary depending on the service. Cash, check, or money orders are accepted. Reduced fee services are available on a limited basis. Please contact me for further information. I am able to provide appropriate invoices to submit for out-of-network reimbursement from insurance companies.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
No-show without 24-hour notice for evaluation sessions = $150.00 due.
Do you work with all age groups?
Dr. Hope performs psychological, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological evaluations for individuals ages 5 and up.
What are some reasons I or my child might need an evaluation?
There can be various reasons for pursuing a psychological, psychoeducational, or neuropsychological evaluation:
To identify learning disorders or neurodevelopmental delays, cognitive and academic strengths and challenges, as well as social/emotional or behavioral difficulties that are having a detrimental impact on your or your child’s optimal functioning.
To determine whether a student requires academic support services, social/emotional support services, classroom modifications, test accommodations, and the like.
To assist parents and teachers in planning an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan.
To identify those strategies which would be most effective in helping you or your child learn.
To establish a baseline for measuring your or your child’s progress.
To add to knowledge of a client’s clinical picture regarding the interplay between medical conditions or brain abnormality and psychological symptoms, to assist in selecting appropriate interventions.
How long do your evaluations typically take?
The time to complete an assessment varies depending on the referral question and the type of issues that require addressing. A full neuropsychological evaluation typically takes approximately 6 to 8 hours, usually divided into several sessions. A psychoeducational evaluation, or a brief SLD, AD/HD, or psychological evaluation, are generally shorter.
When will I get a report after the evaluation is completed?
Dr. Hope will provide a written report within three weeks of the completion of the assessment.
Are you available to meet with a school’s special education staff and/or talk to teachers or providers?
During the evaluation or after it is completed, Dr. Hope is available to accompany parents to school or other meetings, as well as provide feedback to tutors, providers and/or teachers about educational interventions based on the results of the assessment.
Who will work with me and/or my child?
Dr. Hope will personally have all contact with you or your child, perform all testing and write the report.
What is usually included in an assessment?
Any of Dr. Hope’s diagnostic evaluations consists of a developmental history/clinical interview, review of previous evaluations/interventions, behavior rating scales, and an appropriate battery of diagnostic tests in face-to-face testing sessions. Test batteries vary depending upon the nature of the referral, but most batteries will consist of intellectual, educational and often psychosocial assessment, as well as some degree of neuropsychological assessment (such as memory, attention, language, and/or executive functions).
What will the final report include?
Once a diagnostic evaluation is concluded, Dr. Hope will provide a report containing background history, results of qualitative and quantitative testing, a summary/synthesis of test results, and recommendations for instruction, accommodations or interventions. Summary reports are available at a lower fee.
What if I don’t understand the results?
Dr. Hope will meet with you for a feedback session to review the results and the recommendations, as well as to address questions/concerns.
How should I prepare my child before the first testing session?
Most children will have questions about the testing experience. For younger children, it is effective to simply tell your child he/she will be meeting someone new, whose job it is to learn about how kids learn, and that he/she will be trying to do their best at various activities like playing with blocks, drawing, listening and answering questions. They will be able to take a break when they need to. For older children, it is appropriate to more extensively describe how the assessment will help them be more successful in school, and help their teachers present information in a way that optimizes their learning.