Psychology Assessment Center
Contact Information
MGfC Psychology Assessment Center
One Bowdoin Square, 7th Floor
Boston,
MA
02114
Phone: 617-643-3997
Fax: 617-724-3726
Hours: Hours: 8:30 am — 5:00 pm
To schedule an appointment with a MassGeneral for Children pediatric specialist, please call 888-644-3248 or complete our online appointment form to request an appointment.
Physicians may call 888-644-3211 or use the online referral form and the Access & New Appointment Center will call your patient within one business day.
Explore This Treatment Program
About Neuropsychological Evaluation
Neurological, medical, genetic and developmental disorders are caused by or result in difficulties with the brain and nervous system. Children who are affected can have trouble with things such as learning, memory, speaking, hearing and mood.
Children are referred by a physician, teacher, school psychologist or other professional because of one or more problems in areas such as:
- Difficulty in learning, attention, behavior, socialization or emotional control
- A disease or developmental problem that affects the brain in some way
- A brain injury from an accident, birth trauma or other physical stress
The specialists at the Psychology Assessment Center have experience working with children with a variety of these disorders including the following:
Neurological/Medical disorders:
- Epilepsy
- Hematologic/Oncologic diagnoses (including brain tumors, leukemia)
- Leukodystrophies
- Movement disorders (including Multiple Sclerosis)
- Stroje
- Traumatic brain injury
- Tourette’s syndrome
Psychiatric disorders:
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Substance abuse
Developmental disorders:
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Attention deficit disorder
- Language disorders
- Learning disabilities
- Intellectual impairment
- Prenatal substance exposure
- Developmental difficulties that may be associated with factors such as adoption, malnutrition, prematurity/ low birthweight, trauma
Genetic disorders:
- Angelman’s Syndrome
- Chromosome anomaly
- Down syndrome
- Fragile X
- Maple syrup urine disease
- Neurofibromatosis
- Phenylketonuria
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Turner’s syndrome
- William’s syndrome
Our Approach
Our pediatric neuropsychologists rely on a child-centered approach to analyze a child’s individual strengths and weaknesses and how these affect his/her functioning and learning on a day-to-day basis. An extensive evaluation is provided. Some abilities may be measured in more detail than others, depending on the child’s specific needs. Observing the child to understand his/her motivation, cooperation and behavior is also a very important part of the evaluation.
There are some similarities amongst children with certain disorders (for example, ADHD or dyslexia) and medical conditions (for example, brain tumors or epilepsy), but pediatric neuropsychologists are careful to determine each child’s unique characteristics and background in order to understand his/her profile and provide the most appropriate recommendations.
A comprehensive report is provided detailing how a child’s neuropsychological profile affects his/her functioning in all relevant domains (cognitive, academic, psychological, social, family). Detailed recommendations are provided to help make use of the testing in the child’s daily activities, including school.
Education is considered such an important aspect of the child’s functioning that the Psychology Assessment Center also provides the services of an Educational Specialist who can assist with recommendations tailored to the child’s specific school curriculum. Additional educational testing, direct consultation with your child’s school and the development of individual education services can be provided.
Insurance Coverage
Most health insurances cover neuropsychological assessment when the child has an underlying medical disorder. However, this is typically not the case for evaluations of learning disabilities. In these cases, it is sometimes possible to request that the child’s school cover the cost of an independent (second, outside) evaluation. If you choose to pay for the evaluation yourself, you will be asked to sign a waiver agreeing to pay the cost of the evaluation.
Schedule a Virtual or Telephone Visit
Care teams across Mass General for Children are available to provide care via phone or online video visits. Call 888-644-3248 to learn more.