Who We Serve
More Than a Label
At Preston Neuropsychology, we are not interested in just giving your child a label. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how your child learns, identify factors that impact their development and daily life, and provide recommendations that will help address concerns and foster strengths. We strive to provide you and your child with a better understanding of how they learn and how to help them feel successful at home, school, social settings, and emotionally. While each child has their own personal set of strengths and weaknesses, there are many children that face common challenges. Below are some examples of the kinds of concerns we focus on.
ADHD
Many parents wonder whether their child’s attention and behavior difficulties are “typical” or “normal” for their age, or whether they are more significant than their peers. ADHD evaluations are used to help more clearly determine whether your child’s difficulties are within the expected range or warrant further support. ADHD evaluations not only assess attention, but also executive functions such as organization, planning, self-monitoring, and processing speed. Additionally, ADHD evaluations assess other areas of functioning that can be impacted by attention or mimic attention problems, such as language processing, memory, and motor skills. Dr. Preston has experience working with many different presentations of ADHD. For example, some children have quieter, more internal distractibility that can go unnoticed. In other cases, ADHD can result in oppositional behavior or problems managing frustration. A diagnosis of ADHD cannot be made from neuropsychological tests alone; therefore, the evaluation also includes gathering information from parents, teachers, and other helpful resources.
Learning Differences
Learning differences that impact academic progress in reading, including dyslexia, are common in children. Specific Learning Disorders in writing (e.g., dysgraphia), and math (e.g., dyscalculia) are also common. In cases where a learning disorder is suspected, neuropsychological evaluations include additional academic/educational evaluation to break down academic skills into components. For example, when assessing reading skills, an academic evaluation should evaluate phonological processing, fluency/automaticity, and comprehension. Similarly, writing and math skills should be broken into their components. A neuropsychological evaluation with an evaluation of academic achievement therefore helps to identify specific areas of concern and to provide targeted treatment recommendations that address those concerns. In many cases, children with attention difficulties also benefit from an academic evaluation, since specific learning disorders commonly co-occur with ADHD and since attentional difficulties often impact academic progress. Dr. Preston also works with many children who are twice-exceptional whose gifts are often overlooked because of their challenges.
Concussions
Following a concussion, children and adolescents often experience changes to attention, memory, thinking speed, sleep, energy levels, and emotional regulation. They also often experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, light and sound sensitivity, and other physical symptoms. Although most people recover from mild concussions within a few days or weeks, some children struggle to return to normal activities. Therefore, neuropsychological evaluations after a concussion provide a brief, targeted assessment of areas that are typically impacted by concussion, including attention, memory, and processing speed. These assessments can be conducted at multiple times to measure a child's recovery and guide return-to-play decision making by their pediatrician or neurologist. Concussion evaluations can also be used to establish accommodations at school while the child is recovering, as well as to provide treatment recommendations to help children and families manage both the acute and long-term effects of concussion.
Developmental Concerns
Dr. Preston has extensive experience working with children with a range of conditions that occur in early development, including language processing disorders, motor disorders (e.g., dyspraxia), intellectual disabilities, exposure to alcohol or other substances during pregnancy, and genetic conditions. He also works with many children with previously diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since early developmental conditions impact fundamental brain functions, they continue to impact children throughout their life. As children with developmental conditions mature into adolescence and adulthood, they can experience new challenges as the demands of life change. New cognitive challenges can also become more apparent as expectations increase with age, such as problems with executive functioning. In cases of adoption, for example, many parents have questions about early development. Therefore, neuropsychological evaluations are a helpful tool to measure a child’s progress, identify new problems that arise, and adjust recommendations to give children the best possible opportunity for independence, fulfilling employment, and healthy social relationships.
Neurological Conditions
Children with medical conditions that impact brain function often present with unique cognitive difficulties and unique challenges in their care. Some specific conditions that benefit from neuropsychological evaluations include children with seizures, traumatic brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, late effects from cancer treatment, encephalitis, and other congenital neurological conditions. Dr. Preston collaborates with your child’s neurologist or other medical provider to help guide medical decision making and develop appropriate interventions at school and home. Since medical conditions can change over time, neuropsychological evaluations are often used to establish a baseline for later comparison, assess improvements or declines in functioning, and assess the impact of medications.
College and Young Adults
Students who are graduating high school, entering college, or joining the workforce often face unique challenges in young adulthood. Many students require updates to a previously diagnosed condition, and in other cases young adults become aware of attention or learning difficulties due to the increased challenges of high school or college. For students beginning the college search, neuropsychological evaluations can play a helpful role in applying for accommodations during standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT. In college and graduate school, many students benefit from modifications to their curriculum, test taking accommodations, and executive functioning support. For young adults who are experiencing challenges related to work or independent living, a neuropsychological evaluation can be used to help determine which supports or services are available to assist them.