Frequently Asked Questions

Neuropsychological evaluation comprehensively examines the connection between the brain and behavior. It involves examining someone’s thinking, behavior, social-emotional functioning, and academic and learning skills. Through this process I use my expertise to identify a child’s strengths and challenges, make diagnoses (when appropriate), and provide recommendations to support children at home, in the community, at school, and daily life. I focus on the “big picture” as well as unique individual differences to help better understand a child’s functioning. I use evaluation findings to give tailored recommendations, which can include specific treatment/therapy approaches, referrals to other specialist providers, school programming and services including Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), educational planning, and strategies that parents, teachers, and others can use to best support a child’s needs. 

A neuropsychological evaluation may be referred for by a child's pediatrician, teacher, developmental specialist, therapist, or initiated by parents/caregivers to answer specific questions about a child's developmental, cognitive, or emotional/behavioral status to aid in differential diagnosis and to provide appropriate treatment recommendations. A neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful if there are:

• Concerns about development, social skills, learning, or school (e.g., possible Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities like dyslexia, executive functioning weakness, language delays)
• Neurological disorders such as epilepsy or seizures, spina bifida, or a brain tumor or brain injury, etc.
• Medical problems such as prematurity, chronic medical conditions, or genetic disorders
• Emotional, behavioral, or mood difficulties (e.g., behavior problems or outbursts, suspected depression, anxiety, OCD, etc.).
• Had an evaluation through school or a psychologist, with minimal improvement from treatment
• Needs a diagnosis made or confirmed (or ruled out)

• An accurate diagnosis (if warranted) that can help guide effective interventions and acquire educational and developmental services
• Documentation of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Disability (DESE) Disability Category Qualification (if warranted)
• Documentation of skills before and after interventions to evaluate response to treatment
• Documentation of your child's cognitive developmental pattern over time so that medical treatments, family expectations, and school programming can be adjusted to your child's changing needs
• A description of your child's strengths and weaknesses
• Recommendations for what you can do to help your child, including recommendations for educational, medical, therapeutic, home/parent strategies and/or developmental programming
• Resources for community based interventions and supports
• Help in knowing what is fair to expect from your child at this point in time
• Help in knowing what your child's needs may be in the future, so that you can plan for the future
• Recommendations for improving your child's behavior and development, providing ongoing follow-up over time to monitor your child as they grow and develop and make updated recommendations, as needed and help to coordinate care. In addition, the pediatric neuropsychologist may refer you to other specialists, such as a clinical psychologist, social worker, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, developmental-behavioral pediatrician, or behavioral therapist for ongoing help with your child's development and behavior.
• The pediatric neuropsychologist will review updated school evaluations and proposed special education services (e.g., through an IEP or 504 Plan) and may be available to attend school meetings with you or perform a school observation, if necessary

Dr. Reese is not a contracted provider with any insurance company in this setting, thus we do not accept insurance and are considered out-of-network providers. After payment in full and once the entire process is completed, we can provide you with documentation that you can submit to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement for portions of the evaluation. However, reimbursement is not guaranteed. You may wish to contact your insurance company prior to booking an evaluation to discuss whether neuropsychological evaluations are a covered benefit and whether there are exclusion criteria that may apply. 

Please note that academic testing is rarely covered by insurance. 

You may wish to contact your insurance company and provide the following assessment/billing codes and inquire about coverage: 90791, 96116, 96132, 96133, 96136, 96137, 96112, and 90846. 

Massachusettes:

Several services are available via telehealth/virtual modalities for patients in Massachusetts; in-person testing takes place in Watertown, Massachusetts. The building has free parking adjacent to the building. 

Southwest Florida:

Several services are available via telehealth/virtual modalities for patients in Florida; in-person testing takes place in Tampa, Florida. The building has free parking. 

We currently accept payment by all major credit cards, cash, check, or Zelle. Payment is typically expected in full on the day of evaluation; for consultation services only (without direct testing), payment methods will be agreed upon ahead of time with Dr. Reese. In Florida, Dr. Reese is a direct pay provider for students who have the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA, formerly the Gardiner Scholarship). 

*In certain cases, Dr. Reese can offer a payment plan (please inquire).

NOTE: To confirm/hold and book a date for in-person testing, a non-refundable $500 deposit is required, which is deducted from the overall cost of the evaluation.

Please see "Services"

Please see "Services" and "Our Approach"

Pediatric neuropsychologists are licensed psychologists who have training in both clinical psychology and neuropsychology.

Neuropsychologists have special training in how the brain develops and in understanding the link between the brain and behavior. They use this training to evaluate and manage children with cognitive, learning, social-emotional, or behavioral disorders. For info on a psychoeducational evaluation vs. a neuropsychological evaluation- see below.

Please see the "Book Now" section where you can book a free 10-minute phone consultation, or evaluations. 

NOTE: To confirm/hold and book a date for in-person testing, a non-refundable $500 deposit is required, which is deducted from the overall cost of the evaluation.

OR:

Email us at kaycee@kayceereesephd.com

Call or text us at: 857-228-8636

Pediatric neuropsychologists and school psychologists may use some of the same tests and can often provide valuable information, but there are key differences and considerations in determining what is right for you/your child. 

The primary purpose of a school evaluation is to determine whether or not a student presents with a disability that impairs their ability to access curriculum and fully benefit/participate in the academic aspects of school. These mostly focus on deciding if a child has a problem with academic skills such as reading, spelling, writing, or math or functional behavior, speech/language, or motor skills. School psychologists, in some states, may practice in a private setting, and are often certified as School Psychologists at the Master's or Specialist Degree level, and in those settings can provide educational diagnoses. Practitioners with a PhD in School Psychologist are eligible to become Licensed Psychologists (approved by their respective state board licensing bodies if certain criteria are met), if they acquire additional training at the internship and/or post-doctoral fellowship or post-doctoral training level (see each state's requirements). This is an important distinction, as often times in most states/districts, school psychologists who are not generally licensed psychologists, even in private practice settings, may make diagnoses based on educational criteria/diagnoses (e.g., recognized by school districts in order to qualify for specific educational disability categories within the school setting to access special education services or school accommodations). However, these are often not accepted as a "clinical" or "medical" diagnosis outside of the educational setting, for example, for standardized examination accommodations (e.g. college admissions or college accommodations), and outpatient or privately-provided interventions or therapies (e.g., therapies outside of school). 

There are certainly cases in which psychoeducational evaluations by schools or school psychologists are warranted and appropriate to meet an individual's needs; however, at times, families spend time (and money, if in a private setting), waiting for these evaluations, only to receive an "educational" disability diagnosis that does not satisfy insurance or agency requirements as a "clinical or medical" diagnosis to document evaluation practices and valid testing and diagnoses that would allow for insurance coverage of recommended intervention/treatment/therapeutic services. This can be frustrating for families to face after long, costly evaluation processes only to hit a roadblock. 

Pediatric neuropsychologists focus on understanding why a child is having problems in school or at home. In addition to assessing academic skills, pediatric neuropsychologists also assess all of the thinking skills needed to perform well in and outside of school – skills like attention, executive functioning, problem-solving, language, learning and memory, gross and fine motor functioning, and social-emotional skills. This may result in "clinical" or "medical" diagnoses and specific treatment recommendations, as well as recommendations for "educational" disability criteria that align with diagnoses from DSM-5, to translate into eligibility considerations and services/treatment within the school setting. These are often required by certain medical practices and insurance companies to cover or approve services related to those specific diagnoses. Pediatric neuropsychologists obtain doctorate degrees in psychology, and further clinical training involved approved internship and post-doctoral fellowship training in neuropsychology. They are often licensed psychologists with additional sub-specialty training in neuropsychology (or board-certified/ board eligible for a specialization in Neuropsychology). Often times, neuropsychological evaluations are warranted in cases of medical/neurology conditions or neurodevelopmental differences.

Dr. Reese's background, training, licensure, experience, and specializations are somewhat unique and specialized, setting her apart in her approach and qualifications in her conceptualization and assessment process and practice. She obtained her PhD in School Psychology (from University of Florida), where she received extensive training in school psychology, early childhood development, psychopathology, assessment and intervention techniques. She elected to obtain further (additional) training and experience in pediatric neuropsychology, including graduate-level clinical placement, pre-doctoral internship with specialized focus in Pediatric Neuropsychology and Pediatric/Health Psychology, and post-doctoral fellowship training in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Thus, in addition to her experience as working within a school team and knowledge of school-based practices as a school psychologist, she is also a Licensed Psychologist and board-eligible Pediatric Neuropsychologist. She understands the collaborative work necessary for working within school teams, as well as evidence-based practices to meet children's needs with a specialized focus in brain-based relationships as a neuropsychologist, positioning her to make the most appropriate recommendations for the whole individual- whether in the medical, community/outpatient setting, school setting, and home/parent strategies as well as best practices for individuals tailored to specific needs. Thus, she prides herself on delivering information and recommendations that clearly communicates an individual's comprehensive learning profile (including areas of strengths and areas of potential need/challenges) to best support them in multiple settings. She utilizes a strengths-based approach combined with extensive training and understanding of neuropsychology to develop tailored recommendations for each individual/family. 

Understanding a child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses can provide a “road map” on how to intervene, develop individualized intervention plans, and to understand potential areas of future difficulty or differences. As a neurodiversity-affirming provider, Dr. Reese does not approach evaluations with the specific need to provide diagnoses, pathologize differences, or promote "changing" an individual. Rather, she tailors recommendations for each individual in order to maximize strengths and unique differences, and provide evidence-based recommendations to best maximize an individual's true potential (and minimize difficulties) based on their individual learning and thinking styles.