While we specialize in children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 4 to 22 years), we are happy to help adults who suspect they have an undiagnosed disorder.

We do not offer evaluations for Autism at this time. We refer you to the following providers:

https://www.karentoth.net/

https://www.childandteensolutions.com/autism-evaluations

A learning disability is a lifelong neurological condition that 1) is completely independent of intelligence - almost all children with learning disabilities have average to above average IQs, 2) is caused by differences in neurological patterns in certain parts of the brain, and 3) cause impairments in reading, writing, and/or math. The good news is that with specialized intervention, the impact of learning disabilities can be minimized such that a person with a learning disability can function at a high level and demonstrate their intelligence.

If your child is having trouble with inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, or hyperactivity such that it interferes with school or home life, it makes sense to seek an evaluation.

Yes. We provide detailed evaluations for dyslexia and dysgraphia to identify the specific obstacle that is impacting your child. Although dyslexia and dysgraphia are not official diagnoses, the official diagnosis being Specific Learning Disorder in reading or writing, we do assess the pattern of skills that are involved in dyslexia and dysgraphia.

Some red flags for a learning disorder include trouble learning the alphabet, trouble learning sound-letter combinations, difficulty with reading fluency, having trouble sounding out words, skipping portions of words when reading, letter and number reversals, trouble learning math facts, and often making spelling errors on frequently used words. Early intervention (before the third grade) is ideal, but it’s never too late to be tested and receive interventions.

If you have concerns about your child’s academic achievement, we recommend that you seek an evaluation from your school district. School districts do assess for learning disorders. Private evaluations are for parents who seek a more thorough, comprehensive understanding of their child’s cognitive profile (specific strengths and weaknesses), which is critical to a detailed treatment plan. Schools cannot provide students with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. Like evaluations for learning disorders, ADHD evaluations also provide a detailed understanding of specific strengths and weaknesses to help parents and the student understand how to use the student’s strengths to compensate for their challenges.

The evaluation process is an interactive process between you, your child. and your clinicians at PEACH. The first step is a one-hour consultation, at which time we discuss your concerns in depth, gather information, and discuss which options would best serve your child. The testing portion of the evaluation involves two to four two-hour sessions to be completed over one to two days. Aside from using a collection of standardized tests, we gather information from the student, rating scales completed by caregivers, teachers, and the student, and observations at the student’s school. The final conference reviews the evaluation results, diagnoses, and recommendations. Two weeks following the final conference, you receive a comprehensive report. Following the conference, we are happy to answer questions, provide you with referrals, and support you if you need help discussing the results with your child’s school.

Pediatricians and some child psychiatrists rely on interviews and questionnaires to diagnose ADHD. ADHD is a neurological disorder, not a behavioral one. Neuropsychological evaluations test a students’ cognitive skills in several areas to determine which areas are impacted and whether or not these areas fit the pattern of ADHD. The evaluation results, for any diagnosis or even if there is no diagnosis, are critical to a treatment plan that centers on students using their strengths to compensate for any obstacles to their learning.

Yes. Our social skills groups meet weekly for 11 weeks and teach specific social skills tailored to the students’ needs. Each group consists of 4 to 5 students matched by age and concern. Please call or email us to sign up for an upcoming group so that your child can be matched with similar students.

No. Therapy groups, including our social skills groups, are formed based on the area of concern, not a diagnosis. We welcome children and adolescents with or without a diagnosis.

We have a few slots available for individual therapy for anxiety. PEACH primarily offers therapy groups.

Group therapy works well for concerns that are shared by others such as social skills problems, social anxiety, general anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. PEACH focuses on group therapy because group therapy has the added benefit of helping clients know that they are not alone. It has been found to be just as effective as individual therapy and reduces the cost of therapy, making it more accessible. Individual therapy is best when the client is not ready for group therapy, for instance if the client feels overwhelmed by the thought of sharing a therapeutic experience with others. Individual therapy is also recommended when the client’s symptoms are severe or specific to the individual.

High-quality evaluations include a consultation, several hours of testing, a school observation, and a parent conference. In addition to this time, specialists spend many hours behind the scenes scoring all of the tests, compiling and evaluating the test results, forming conclusions, and writing the report. In all, specialists can easily spend more than 20 hours per evaluation. After adding operational costs, including test materials, the cost is significant. However, most insurance companies do cover at least a portion of the cost. PEACH will provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance provider.

IEP stands for Individualized Education Program, which is a legal contract with your school district that provides your child with services to address disabilities that impact your child’s academic performance. The services can include specialized instruction, academic support, an aide in the classroom, and academic and/or behavioral accommodations. IEP’s set academic goals and monitor your child’s progress. The first step towards receiving an IEP is an evaluation to determine if your child qualifies for an IEP. For more information, see https://adayinourshoes.com/what-is-an-iep/

An IEP provides specialized instruction and can include accommodations to help support the student. A 504 Plan is an agreement with the school to provide accommodations but not specialized instruction. For example, typical accommodations for students with learning disorders include extra time for tests, shortened assignments, permission to dictate in-class essays or access to a scribe, not including spelling errors as part of the grade, and access to assistive technology. PEACH includes recommendations for accommodations as part of the evaluation process.

PEACH is not currently enrolled in insurance networks because reimbursement rates from most insurers are insufficient to support the operational costs of a small center. However, many insurance plans cover a significant portion of our services. We will provide you with a superbill and help you with insurance forms so that you can file a claim. Please contact your insurance company to ask about their coverage of neuropsychological testing or group therapy and ask for pre-authorization of services. Please call or email us with any questions. We are happy to support you with this process.