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If you have questions concerning what to expect on evaluation day, how much it costs, the difference between school evaluations and what we do here at CTPNA then this article is for you. In this blog post we’ll share answers to all those questions and more.
What is a neuropsychological evaluation and how is it different from a psychoeducational evaluation?
Neuropsychological evaluation is the in-depth assessment of skills and abilities associated with brain function. It involves analysis of brain-behavior relationships by measuring skills in multiple areas of brain function including cognition, attention, memory, executive functioning, visual perceptual, social-emotional, and learning. Neuropsychological evaluation can generate appropriate diagnoses and intervention recommendations to assist your child in receiving targeted intervention for areas of need at school, home, and in the community.
Neuropsychological evaluations are more “clinical” in nature compared to a psychoeducational evaluation, in that they are designed to answer questions about a student’s functioning and includes a formulation where evaluation results are used to explain the cause of presenting problems and to generate “best practices” for intervention. Clinical diagnosis is also provided when appropriate. Neuropsychological evaluation is conducted by a doctoral level clinical neuropsychologist. The neuropsychologist has specialized training in neuropsychological assessment including a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in clinical psychology and fellowship training. Psychoeducational evaluation is typically conducted by a child’s school and most commonly consists of cognitive, academic, and social-emotional assessments to provide information and recommendations for school-based interventions and supports. Psychoeducational evaluations are typically conducted by school psychologists and other school staff.
What type of questions can a neuropsychological evaluation answer?
Common referral questions for neuropsychological evaluation include concerns regarding learning disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety/depression, behavioral difficulties, traumatic brain injury, seizures, brain tumors, and other conditions. Neuropsychological evaluations provide information about a child's functioning to inform recommendations for school and community services.
What will the day be like for my child?
1. Typically takes a full 4-6 hours to complete. 2. Begins with a consultation between parents and doctor. Your child will wait in a supervised, quiet, and comfortable waiting room. Feel free to bring activities, toys, or electronic devices to occupy your child while you talk to the doctor. 3. After consultation, child will begin testing with doctor. Breaks are provided as frequently as needed. 4. Break for lunch is usually around 12:00 for 1 hour. 5. At the end of evaluation, parents will sit down for discussion of initial impressions of evaluation outcome with the doctor. A comprehensive written report will follow within six weeks.
What if my child cannot complete the evaluation in one day?
Our evaluations are tailored to the age and presenting concerns of your child. Most children can complete the evaluation in one day, but if they are not able and/or if the clinician needs more time to understand the presenting concerns, additional testing sessions will be scheduled to complete the assessment. There is no additional charge/fee if more than one evaluation session is required.
Will the doctor contact my child’s school and/or other providers as part of the evaluation?
Parent permission and completion of appropriate release forms is required for the doctor to contact your child's school or other providers. For evaluations funded by school districts, permission to release and obtain information from the district is required for the evaluation. For privately funded evaluations, the doctor will discuss appropriate releases based upon the presenting concerns.
What ages do you cover?
We evaluate students from approximately age four to young adulthood.
Should my child take prescribed medicine on the evaluation day?
Yes, your child should take medicine as prescribed by their physician on the evaluation day. If your child typically takes medicine during the day at school or at home, please bring that medicine with you to administer at the directed time.
How long will the report take?
Reports are generated within six weeks of the evaluation date.
Do you accept insurance?
OUR OFFICE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE WITH INSURANCE. We are sorry for the inconvenience. However, we will assist you in any way we can with the reimbursement process if your insurance company does agree to reimburse you. You may want to call them before your appointment and give them this Procedure Code: 96132 for first hour and 96133 for additional hours. This is the code they typically use for a Neuropsychological Evaluation.
Payment in full is expected at the time of your visit. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. We accept these major credit cards: Master Card, Visa, Discover. If your child's school has requested and arranged for the evaluation and has agreed to fund the cost of the evaluation, the school district will be billed directly.
If I want to submit a claim to be reimbursed by my insurance company what procedure codes are needed? Will a superbill be generated? The following Procedure Codes are typically used for neuropsychological evaluation: 96132 for first hour and 96133 for additional hours. We are happy to provide you with an itemized "superbill" following completion of the evaluation upon request.
How much does it cost?
The price of the Neuropsychological Evaluation depends upon the presenting concerns and the requirements of the evaluation. Please contact our office manager to obtain an estimated fee for evaluation based upon your child's needs. If a school observation is required and/or attendance at a PPT meeting is requested, this can be arranged for as a separate service and will be billed on an hourly basis.
Who is responsible for payment?
If your child's school district has referred you for this evaluation, the district will be responsible for payment. If you are a self referral, then you will be responsible for payment in full on the evaluation day.
How do I schedule an appointment?
Using the chat box below or emailing our front office at office@ctpedineuro.com is the most efficient way to contact us for questions and to begin the process of scheduling.
If you need to speak with our office manager or one of the doctors, please call 860-833-8155. If the office manager is not able to take your call, please leave a detailed message including how you can be reached (your telephone number and best time to call).
Do I need a referral?
If your child's school district is funding the evaluation, the district must generate a referral to our office. If you are funding the evaluation privately, no referral is necessary.
What other type of evaluations are available through CTPNA?
Please refer to our "services provided" page. At this time, we offer the following additional services: -School-based Psychiatric Evaluations -Integrated Psychiatric and Neuropsychological Evaluations -Speech and Language Evaluations -Medication Consultation and Management
What is the best way to contact my child’s doctor if I have a question prior to or after the evaluation?
The best way to contact your child's neuropsychologist is via email. Please click on the "Contact" tab to access email addresses for each provider.
Will the doctor attend my child’s PPT?
The neuropsychologist can attend your child's PPT if needed and with advance scheduling. There is an additional charge for PPT participation. Questions about PPT participation should be directed toward your neuropsychologist.