What is the purpose or focus of the psychological assessements provided by Dr. Wright?
Dr. Wright’s assessments focus on cognitive and learning strengths and challenges, memory skills, attention, and emotional functioning. These evaluations may be termed psychological, psychoeducational, or neurocognitive, depending on the referral question and scope of the evaluation. The goal of all assessments is to provide the individual, his or her family members, and other professionals (teachers, pediatricians and counselors) with a better understanding of the individual’s functioning, skills and abilities, and to provide recommendations to support growth and improvement in areas of need.
Common referral questions include the following:
-Does my child have a clinically significant attention problem?
-Why is my child or adolescent starting to struggle in school?
-Is my child experiencing emotional issues, such as depression or anxiety, that
are impacting his/her school or social functioning?
-Does my child have a learning disability or other diagnosis, such as Asperger's
Disorder?
What can I expect from the evaluation?
Depending on how much previous evaluation has been done, and your child's unique concerns, the typical evaluation consists of the following step
- Initial appointment of 90 minutes: This appointment includes the client and
parents or guardians. No formal testing is conducted at this time. Personal
and family history, areas of concern and strengths, and reviews of previous
assessments are conducted. The session is typically divided into time all
together and some individual time with parents and with the client.
-Two assessment appointments of up to 3 hours each: Testing may be
conducted by Dr. Wright or a trained testing assistant. Children under 13
years of age must have a guardian stay at Cascara Center during this time,
although they are not present for the testing. Parents are asked to bring
snacks along, as children take one or more breaks during these sessions.
-Feedback appointment of up to one hour: This appointment is scheduled
approximately two weeks after the final testing session. The report with
diagnostic impressions and comprehensive recommendations are given to the
family.
With the exception of the feedback appointment, all appointments are generally scheduled between the hours of 9am and 2pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Are evaluations covered by my insurance?
In some instances, insurance companies require pre-approval for psychological assessment. These requests to approve testing are submitted to the insurance after the initial appointment and take most insurance companies 5-10 business days to process and respond. In other cases, insurance companies require parents to call for pre-approval before the initial appointment. Some insurances place a limit on the number of assessment hours that are covered annually or per lifetime. In most cases, insurance companies will not approve assessments if the primary concern is learning/academics. Increasingly, insurance companies are denying coverage for attention concerns. When approval is denied by insurance companies, or when you are paying out-of-pocket, a fee agreement will be prepared so that you will be fully informed of costs prior to any formal testing. A payment plan may be developed at your request. Our front office staff is well-trained and will notify you at the time of your phone intake call, or following the benefit check with your insurance, if your insurance company has these requirements or limitations.