Frequently Asked Questions

These terms overlap a lot, which is why families often feel confused. Each type has a different focus:

• Psychoeducational Evaluation Typically done through schools. Focuses mainly on academic skills (reading, writing, math) and whether a child qualifies for special education. It may include IQ testing, but it usually doesn’t look closely at attention, memory, emotions, or daily functioning.

• Psychological Evaluation A broad term that can vary depending on the setting. Often used to look at mental health concerns (like anxiety, depression, or behavior) or to answer specific referral questions.

• Neuropsychological Evaluation The most comprehensive. Examines how the brain affects learning, emotions, and development. Includes a wide range of testing: attention, memory, executive functioning, language, motor skills, academics, and social-emotional functioning.

• What We Do at NDC Our approach most closely aligns with a neuropsychological evaluation. We include everything a psychoeducational or psychological evaluation would cover, but we go further:
  

  • Reports are written in clear, parent-friendly language with practical recommendations.

  • We use a neurodiversity-affirming lens, highlighting strengths as well as challenges.

  • Every child/teen gets a personalized letter so they can understand their profile in age-appropriate, empowering ways.

  • We bring together input from caregivers, teachers, and other providers to connect the dots across home, school, and community.

In short: if psychoeducational or psychological evaluations give you part of the picture, our evaluations give you the whole picture — plus a roadmap forward.

Yes. Each report includes individualized, practical recommendations that you can share with teachers, therapists, and other providers. Families often find these recommendations help guide IEP or 504 meetings, therapy planning, and decisions about enrichment or supports at home.

We welcome prior testing and will review any recent reports you share. If high-quality data can be used, it may reduce the amount of additional testing needed (and sometimes lower the overall cost). We also offer the evaluation navigator for parents who have questions about previous evaluations but do not need another evaluation.

School-based evaluations are designed to answer one question: Does my child qualify for special education services? Because of this, they are usually focused on academics and eligibility categories.

Our comprehensive evaluations go further. We look not just at academics, but also attention, executive functioning, memory, emotional well-being, and developmental history. If appropriate, we can also provide diagnoses (which schools cannot) and make recommendations for home, community, and medical settings in addition to school.

Yes. With your consent, we can collaborate with schools, pediatricians, and other providers (such as speech, OT, or medical specialists). Coordinating care helps ensure your child’s support team is working toward the same goals.

Evaluations at NDC are designed to feel exploratory and supportive, not stressful. For younger children, the process looks a lot like playing games, solving puzzles, and answering fun questions — many leave saying it felt like a special day of activities just for them.

For teens, we take a more collaborative approach. We frame the evaluation as a way to understand their learning style, strengths, and challenges so that school and life can feel easier. Teens often appreciate being included in conversations about what works for them, and many walk away feeling validated that their struggles make sense — and that there are real strategies to help.

Whether your child is little or a teenager, the experience is always presented as normal and affirming. Our goal is for them to feel proud, seen, and curious about how their brain works, not “different” in a negative way.

That’s exactly what comprehensive evaluations are for. Many children have profiles that overlap — for example, a child might be both gifted and have ADHD, or experience autism alongside anxiety. It’s very common for strengths and challenges to cut across categories.

Our goal isn’t to “check boxes” or force your child into one label. Instead, we focus on understanding the whole child — how they think, learn, and feel — so we can identify the supports that will help them thrive across home, school, and community settings.

You’re not alone — many families come to us after a previous evaluation felt incomplete or didn’t lead to actionable next steps. In some cases, parents unknowingly had a more targeted or limited evaluation that focused on one area (like academics or behavior) without looking at the whole child. Other times, children’s profiles simply change over time — new strengths emerge, challenges shift, and strategies that once worked may no longer fit.

At NDC, our evaluations are designed to be different:

• Comprehensive — We look at thinking skills, learning, attention, memory, social-emotional development, and everyday functioning — not just one area.

• Whole-Child Focused — We don’t just “check boxes.” We integrate history, testing, and real-life observations to understand how your child learns and experiences the world.

• Clear and Practical — Our reports are written in plain language with recommendations you can actually use at home, school, and in the community.

• Affirming and Personalized — We highlight strengths as well as challenges, and every child receives a feedback session and an age-appropriate letter written just for them.

Our goal is for families to walk away with clarity, confidence, and a roadmap — not just a stack of scores.

At The Neurodevelopmental Collective, we work with children and young people from infancy through early adulthood. That means we see toddlers who are just starting to show early developmental differences, school-age kids navigating learning and attention challenges, and teens figuring out identity and independence. We also work with college students and young adults — including those who may be wondering about undiagnosed autism, ADHD, or other neurodevelopmental differences, or who need documentation for college accommodations.

Our evaluations are always tailored to the developmental stage — playful and exploratory for little ones, practical and collaborative for older kids and teens, and empowering for young adults. No matter the age, our goal is the same: to help families and individuals understand how they learn, think, and thrive, so they can feel confident about next steps.

Parents often wonder if it’s too early — or if they should just “wait and see.” In my experience, families never come back later saying, “I wish we had waited longer.” What they almost always say is, “I wish we had started sooner.”

If you’re asking the question, it’s usually the right time. Even if an evaluation doesn’t lead to a diagnosis, it can provide clarity, reassurance, and strategies to support your child right now.

Some evaluations can be done quite early:

• Autism: Many children can be reliably identified as early as age 1.5-2, especially if language, play, or social connection looks different from expectations.

• ADHD: Signs may be recognized in preschool years, especially if impulsivity or inattention is impacting safety (running into streets, climbing unsafely, or difficulty with supervision). A formal diagnosis often becomes clearer around age 5, but early evaluation can still help guide support.

• Language or developmental delays: Concerns can often be identified in toddlers and preschoolers through play-based assessments.

• Learning disorders (like dyslexia): Usually identified once formal reading and math instruction begins, around age 6 or first grade.

Other profiles may not emerge until later:

• Twice-exceptional (2E) students: Giftedness can mask ADHD, autism, or learning challenges for years. These differences may only become noticeable in middle school or high school when academic and social demands increase.

• Mood, anxiety, or executive functioning challenges: Often show up later in elementary years through young adulthood, especially as independence expectations grow.

The purpose of an evaluation isn’t just to “check boxes.” It’s to understand your child as a whole person — their strengths, challenges, and how they learn best. Early insight allows you to move forward with confidence, rather than waiting and hoping things resolve on their own.