Psychological Assessment
The MCC offers psychological assessment services for children as young as 18 months up to 18 years.
ADHD Testing
ADHD is an over-diagnosed, over-medicated phenomenon in our society at the moment. As psychologists, the MCC providers seek to first establish the legitimacy of an ADHD diagnosis via an array of psychological tests, including standardized, objective measures. The MCC ADHD examination is an extensive process that involves approximately four hours of testing, as well as gathering essential information from the child’s parent(s) as well as from the child’s teacher. The MCC psychologists are conservative in their diagnosis of ADHD, and parents can rest assured that their child will not be carelessly diagnosed or unnecessarily medicated after receiving one of our detailed evaluations.
Autism Testing
The first step in working with a family of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is accurate diagnosis. The diagnostic evaluation can provide great information that can be used to help with treatment and school recommendations. A typical evaluation includes a diagnostic play session (using the gold-standard Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2nd Ed.), parent interview, intellectual testing, and adaptive behavior assessment. A detailed report, including recommendations, is written and discussed with each family.
Emotional Functioning
Mental health diagnoses are not discreet, meaning that there is a high degree of overlap among mental health conditions. Often, a close examination of symptoms is necessary to tease apart and accurately identify and label a mental illness. For example, it is the opinion of the MCC psychologists that bipolar disorder should be thoroughly investigated and substantiated via psychological assessment before anti-psychotic, anti-seizure, and/or mood stabilizing drugs are introduced as a treatment. Often, what would appear to by symptoms of a bipolar depression are in fact better explained by substance abuse, a personality disorder, a mixed uni-polar depression, or a combination of conditions. It is the MCC philosophy that accurate diagnosis should always precede treatment.
Learning Disorder Assessment
While health insurances rarely cover this service, the early identification of a learning disorder can help prevent a child from developing negative attitudes about him/herself and about school. If a legitimate learning disorder is present, the MCC psychological report will provide the evidence necessary to substantiate the need for accommodations in the child’s school.
Autism Testing
The first step in working with a family of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is accurate diagnosis. The diagnostic evaluation can provide great information that can be used to help with treatment and school recommendations. A typical evaluation includes a diagnostic play session (using the gold-standard Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2nd Ed.), parent interview, intellectual testing, and adaptive behavior assessment. A detailed report, including recommendations, is written and discussed with each family.
ADHD Testing
ADHD is an over-diagnosed, over-medicated phenomenon in our society at the moment. As psychologists, the MCC providers seek to first establish the legitimacy of an ADHD diagnosis via an array of psychological tests, including standardized, objective measures. The MCC ADHD examination is an extensive process that involves approximately four hours of testing, as well as gathering essential information from the child’s parent(s) as well as from the child’s teacher. The MCC psychologists are conservative in their diagnosis of ADHD, and parents can rest assured that their child will not be carelessly diagnosed or unnecessarily medicated after receiving one of our detailed evaluations.
Emotional Functioning
Mental health diagnoses are not discreet, meaning that there is a high degree of overlap among mental health conditions. Often, a close examination of symptoms is necessary to tease apart and accurately identify and label a mental illness. For example, it is the opinion of the MCC psychologists that bipolar disorder should be thoroughly investigated and substantiated via psychological assessment before anti-psychotic, anti-seizure, and/or mood stabilizing drugs are introduced as a treatment. Often, what would appear to by symptoms of a bipolar depression are in fact better explained by substance abuse, a personality disorder, a mixed uni-polar depression, or a combination of conditions. It is the MCC philosophy that accurate diagnosis should always precede treatment.
Learning Disorder Assessment
While health insurances rarely cover this service, the early identification of a learning disorder can help prevent a child from developing negative attitudes about him/herself and about school. If a legitimate learning disorder is present, the MCC psychological report will provide the evidence necessary to substantiate the need for accommodations in the child’s school.
