FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS — ASSESSMENT
What is a developmental neurobehavioral issue?
Children who are sometimes thought to be difficult, lazy or unmotivated often have an unrecognized neurobehavioral issue. These issues are identified by a specific pattern of cognitive, social, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulty. There are a variety of neurobehavioral issues including:
- Language-based learning disability
- Nonverbal learning disability
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Executive Function Disorder
- Communication Disorders
What resources are available to help my children, families, teachers or professionals?
Rush NeuroBehavioral Center (RNBC) offers multiple disciplines and coordinated services within a single clinical environment to address the needs of children, families, teachers, and other professionals.
In addition to the services we provide, many schools, hospitals, universities, and community organizations offer resources to a child with neurobehavioral disorders.
Will my child be okay?
Yes… your child IS okay. With the appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and support your child will be able to achieve his or her full potential academically, socially, and emotionally. As a child learns compensatory strategies through coaching, tutoring, and remediation, he or she learns to build on strengths.
What can I expect during the assessment process?
The assessment process varies from child to child based on the areas of concern and age of the child. Generally, you can expect a parent intake session (1–1.5 hours), 6–9 hours of testing, consultation with teachers and other involved professionals, a written report with tailored recommendations, and a parent feedback session. Depending on the child’s age, the clinician is also available to provide a child feedback session. Depending on the needs of the assessment, the speech-language pathologist can be brought in as a part of the assessment as well. Finally, we feel it’s important to have the clinicians attend a school meeting to share evaluation results and advocate for appropriate support. From intake to feedback, the process may take four to six weeks.
What does testing involve?
Our assessments are comprehensive and cover a broad range of domains. Depending on the presenting problems and concerns, the child may complete tests that measure the following:
- Cognitive abilities
- Academic achievement
- Language Development
- Memory and learning skills
- Attention and Executive Functioning
- Visual-Motor Abilities
- Social-emotional functioning
- Personality and self-concept
The Clinician may explore some these areas more in-depth. For example, a child with learning difficulties may undergo a full diagnostic reading battery to identify the processes contributing to their deficits.
In addition to direct testing with the child, information about these domains is gather from parents, teachers, school support staff, physicians or other professionals already working with the child. The clinician may also with to observe the child in the school setting.
Who performs the assessment?
As a member of Rush University, Rush Neurobehavioral Center partners with local graduate programs to provide clinical training to doctoral level psychology students. Direct services at RNBC may be provided either directly by or with the support of a graduate student under the direct supervision of a licensed clinic psychologist. Our dedication to teaching and mentorship helps guarantee that the next generation of clinical psychologists will be equally competent in providing empirically-based care to children and families.
RNBC supervising clinicians are doctoral level clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists who are trained in a range of neuropsychological, psycho-educational, and developmental assessment methods. They are experts in understanding, assessing, and treating neurobehavioral disorders. RNBC boasts a multidisciplinary team of individuals who work together to diagnose and treat children and adolescents with a variety of disorders. In addition to psychologists, our clinical team includes school psychologists, a pediatric psychiatrist, and a speech-language pathologist.
How do I prepare my child for the testing sessions?
Participating in an assessment may provoke anxiety. Out clinicians have extensive child-based experiences and are sensitive to developmental needs. The testing occurs over approximately two days. Children will take many breaks, enjoy snacks, and play games to break up the day. Children usually enjoy the one-on-one time and find some of the tests interesting. We recommend talking to your child before bringing them in for testing. Explain that the testing is like a “check-up” on how s/he learns and how things are going at school, at home, and with friends. The information will be used to help him/her be successful.
What are the various treatments?
At Rush NeuroBehavioral Center, we believe in a multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment of children with neurobehavioral disorders. Professionals analyze data, make a diagnosis, and determine appropriate treatments for the child. Recommendations are tailored to your child’s specific needs and are selected to match not only the diagnosis but also the specific characteristics of the child. Treatment is coordinated by the diagnostician and the treatment provider on an ongoing basis.
How do I get started?
We are currently accepting new patients for neuropsychological assessments and speech/language services.
If you are a new or existing patient seeking services at RNBC in the area of neuropsychological assessment or speech/language services, please call the following number: 847–933‑9339.