People are having important conversations in the Neurodiverse Community. One of the most urgent conversations is the timely access to evaluations for people of all ages seeking a diagnosis. If you’ve tried calling around, you’ve been met with waitlists and delays. With the barrier to diagnostic services, individuals and parents are forced to sit idle and wait their turn. They feel like time is being wasted, and they are not wrong. We always want to connect people to medical and mental health services as well as appropriate therapies as quickly as possible. However, when it comes to children, we know that the earlier the intervention, the better! A diagnosis is likely required to have recommended interventions and suggested accommodations put in place, especially with the support of insurance.
While the traditional route still exists, as a practice, the Morris Psychological Group can offer a more tailored approach that will fit the needs of you or your family with a more personalized touch. We offer a significantly shorter wait time for those seeking an evaluation. We offer an alternative to a clinical setting where you are one of many appointments in a day. We’ll spend time with you from start to finish getting to know you and/or your child so that any recommendations that are made will meet the needs of you as well as your family. You will receive a comprehensive report, with applicable diagnoses, signed by a multidisciplinary team inclusive of a neuropsychologist. We do submit to insurance as an out-of-network provider. Reach out to your insurance company before the evaluation to inquire about reimbursement.
- We provide not only a diagnosis, if applicable, but you will receive a comprehensive report that will highlight you or your child’s brain style from a strengths-based perspective.
- We use a combination of assessments that support an affirming approach to neurodiversity. It will encompass strategies, accommodations, and recommendations. These are more important for success in continued education, future employment, and daily independent living skills.
- We will go to great lengths to dive into the autism spectrum brain style strengths and differences to develop an overall profile so that an individual will be able to unmask and find opportunities in their everyday life that will be most supporting and successful for them.
- We will identify accommodations to maximize success, happiness, and acceptance. We always focus on what we can change within the environment.
If you are an adult seeking an evaluation for yourself, we can assist in identifying appropriate accommodations for work or continued education. While you may have already completed some of the self-assessments that are readily available online, a formal diagnosis will be able to provide documentation for the support of a 504 plan/ADA adherence in the educational and work settings. You may also simply be seeking to affirm your self-guided research.
If you are a parent seeking an evaluation for your child, we welcome children of all ages. We can see toddlers through adolescents and young adults as well. While the process is similar, we can tailor not only the evaluation but also the recommendations to fit the needs of the developmental stage where your child is currently. Parenting is challenging enough; a lot harder than anyone said it would be! When your child is struggling, navigating educational or medical systems makes it more burdensome when all you want to do is help your child. Parents want to see their kids happy and healthy above all else. Let us carry some of the weight and assist you, advocating for the services your child needs. We will walk alongside you, setting your child up for success and supporting you along the way.
Kate Panfile is a Certified Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the Education field. Mrs. Panfile received her B.S. in Mathematics from Pennsylvania State University and her M.Ed. in Special Education from William Paterson University, where she presented her thesis on the “Impact of Co-Teaching Models on Student and Teacher Perceptions and Attitudes.” She earned a Post-Master’s Certificate as a Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant.
She has been trained on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) as well as the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing Asperger’s Syndrome: A Team-Based Approach (MIGDAS-2), both of which allow for the identification of Autism in toddlers, children, adolescents as well as adults. She trained under Norm Geller, Ph.D., for the ADOS-2 and Marilyn J. Monteiro, Ph.D., creator, for the MIGDAS-2.
