Dr. Nicole Vale, Neuropsychologist

Neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessments help you better understand your child—how they learn, think, behave, and connect with others.

These evaluations can be an important first step in getting a clearer picture of your child’s strengths, as well as any challenges they may be facing. From there, we can create meaningful goals and a plan to support their growth.

As children grow from early childhood into young adulthood, the skills they need continue to change. These assessments help us meet them where they are and support them in the ways that matter most.

How Does Assessment Work?

1. Initial Conversation: We’ll start with a meeting to talk through your concerns and learn more about your child.
2. Review of Records: We’ll look at any past school or medical records to better understand your child’s history.
3. Classroom Observation: If appropriate, we may observe your child in their classroom or learning environment.
4. Additional Input: We may connect with teachers or other providers to gather more insight.
5. In-Person Testing: Your child will come in for 1–3 testing sessions, usually lasting 2–4 hours each, depending on their age and needs.
6. Results & Next Steps: You’ll receive a detailed report, along with a meeting to review the results, discuss any diagnoses, and talk through clear, supportive next steps for your child.

Using a developmental approach, we offer different types of evaluations based on your child’s age and stage. Each evaluation is designed to match the skills and challenges that tend to come up at that stage, so we can provide clear, practical guidance for next steps. Each one is tailored to meet them where they are and understand what support will be most helpful:

• Early Childhood 3.5+
• Elementary School Age
• Adolescent / High School
• College & Young Adult (including testing for school or workplace accommodations)
• Adult ADHD & Autism Evaluations

Each assessment is thoughtfully tailored to your child and can help answer questions or provide clarity in areas such as:

• Learning challenges, including reading, writing, or math (like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia)
• Attention and focus concerns, including ADD/ADHD
• Academic struggles or not reaching their full potential in school
• Social or behavioral differences
• Autism, including profiles like Pathological Demand Avoidance (sometimes described as a strong need for autonomy)
• Giftedness and understanding your child’s cognitive strengths
• Neurological or medical factors (such as brain injuries, epilepsy, or genetic conditions) that may impact learning
• School readiness, including support with decisions around starting Kindergarten or First Grade
• Testing accommodations (such as extended time for exams like the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, Bar Exam, etc.)
• Accessing support services in college or graduate school

North Star Families and Dr. Nicole Vale’s goal is to provide a clearer understanding of your child so we can offer practical, supportive next steps for home, school, and beyond.

Not Sure?! Our licensed Clinical Intake Supervisors are trained to answer all your questions and navigate any concerns.