Psycholgical / Neuropsychological Testing for Adolescents

Whitson Family Counseling Services is proud to offer psychological and neuropsychological testing services with a psychologist who specializes in Neuropsychology. We are one of the few facilities in this area that offers such a specialty. Our psychologist, Dr. Tanya Mesirow, completed her doctoral training with the Department of Mental Health and UC Davis Department of Neurology, UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the VA Sacramento Medical Center. She has experience completing neuropsychological evaluations, psychological testing, cognitive rehabilitation, and psychotherapy with patients demonstrating a variety of psychological and neurological issues including, but not limited to, head injuries, dementias, stroke, depression, anxiety, substance abuse issues, Autism Spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and ADD/ADHD.

Are you worried you or your teen may have ADD/ ADHD?

Do you suspect that your teen may have an anxiety related problem, such as OCD, Tics, or Tourette’s?

Do you wonder if your teen has outgrown ADD/ ADHD?

Do you have concerns that your adolescent may have Autism or Asperger’s?

Are you worried about a possible learning disability?

Do you finally want a definitive diagnosis?

If so, Psychological/ Neuropsychological testing may be the answer…

In most cases, testing can give you a definitive answer to these questions.
You can be sure you are getting the right diagnosis, which will allow you to proceed with the right kind of treatment.

Did you know…

Who can benefit from testing/what can testing diagnose?

- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.

- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.
- - - Teens are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, when the problem may be anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
    - Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression. This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms. This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
    - Sometimes the symptoms of ADD/ ADHD present differently in a teen than they did when in childhood. For example, the hyperactivity may be less prevalent, but issues of inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating may still be present. Because the teen is no longer “bouncing off the walls” like he/ she did when a child, parents may thing the teen has outgrown the diagnosis. When this occurs, the treatment stops and the teen may be left struggling on his/ her own with the challenges of the diagnosis.
    - Having testing completed can help you to obtain appropriate services through the school district for your teen’s diagnosis.

In children and adolescents, neuropsychological testing can be beneficial in helping to diagnose learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and Autism Spectrum disorders. In addition, these evaluations can determine the presence or absence of anxiety and depression, and can determine the presence of additional diagnoses.

What behavioral issues may be appropriate for testing?

Some of the behaviors that may indicate a need for testing include:

These are just a few examples of behaviors that may indicate a need for testing. If you think you or a family member may benefit from testing, feel free to call for a free consultation.

What are the benefits of having testing done?

There are a number of reasons it can be beneficial to have a neuropsychological assessment completed. Neuropsychological testing can be helpful in differentiating between possible diagnoses (e.g., Depression versus Dementia or Anxiety versus Learning Disability). It is important to determine the correct diagnosis as this can be instrumental in determining the most appropriate treatment options including medication choices and behavioral interventions. Neuropsychological evaluations can also be helpful to parents trying to get proper services for their children/adolescents in the school setting.

What can I expect from a typical neuropsychological assessment?

In most cases, a neuropsychological assessment will take 8-10 hours to complete. The first step will be a diagnostic interview with the client and their family (approximately 1 hour). Once the interview is completed, 2-3 testing sessions will take place (usually 2 hours each session). When the testing is completed, the examiner will score and interpret all results. The examiner will then write a comprehensive report outlining all of the clinical history, testing results, diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Finally, there will be a meeting with the client and his/her family to discuss the results (approximately 1 hour).

When will I get the results? In what format?

Approximately two weeks after all of the testing has been completed, the client and his/her family will receive the results including a comprehensive written report, as well as verbal feedback from the examiner.

- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness

- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness
- - - problems with memory
    - inattentiveness/ disorganization
    - hyperactivitysensory issues
    - dementia
    - depression
    - anxiety
    - tics or OCD behaviors
    - sudden change in behavior or mood
    - learning difficulties
    - developmental delays
    - social awkwardness