Psychological Evaluations


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	PSYCHOLOGICAL & NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS Dr. Alexander conducts Psychological and Neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents. Evaluations can be performed to address key areas such as: Personality Attachment Style Neurological Functioning Anger Anxiety Effects of Trauma Academic Achievement Intelligence Underlying Emotions A psychological evaluation typically involves the following procedures: Interviewing and/or observing the child Interviewing the child's primary caregiver(s) Administering psychological tests and measures Speaking with teachers or daycare providers Reviewing the child's birth/developmental history Examining past records or documents of the child's life This data and information is then summarized in a written report. Psychological evaluations are conducted in order to: Identify areas of psychological strength & weakness Clarify the child's resiliency and coping style Give direction for parents and teachers Establish if medication might be indicated Identify what kind of therapy might work best Clarify the child's problem-solving style and abilities Pin-point if the child's problem is new or longstanding Establish a baseline by which to compare future abilities Psychological evaluations provide several recommendations for parents, teachers, and providers. Psychological evaluations also render a diagnosis on the following scale: Axis I: Clinical Disorders Axis II: Intellectual Disability, Personality Disorders Axis IV: Medical conditions which might impact the Axis I diagnosis Axis IV: Environmental stressors Axis V: Global assessment of the child's functioning The cost of a psychological evaluation varies. They are typically covered by insurance companies, under the billing codes 90801; 96101; 96118. Neuropsychological evaluations may require prior approval and/or a referral by an MD. Dr. Alexander accepts New Mexico Medicaid (Optum Health). Many evaluations can be completed in a few hours, while others may require two- or three in-office visits. A written report, summarizing the background information, tests administered, scores & findings, and recommendations is released within 4-5 weeks following the evaluation. Remember, once a report leaves my hands, I have little control over where it goes. Parents are often surprised to find that psychological reports written on their child end up in school or medical records for years. It is therefore important to use discretion when letting other people read or make copies of the report. *BONDING ASSESSMENTS* I conduct parent-child bonding assessments (also called a bonding study or interactional assessment. These typically include very young children and birth, foster, and/or adoptive parents. The bonding assessment is done as a means of quantifying which adult(s) hold the position of greatest centrality/importance in the child's life. In other words, who does the child view as the primary/psychological parent. These are typically child welfare, as opposed to divorce/custody evaluations. I also do custody evaluations, but only by appointment of the Court. \| Return Home \| My Services \| Recent Articles \| Reflections on DSM 5 \| Psychological Evaluations \| Bonding Assessments \| Child Custody Evaluations \| Childhood Depression \| Contact Us \|