MEET THE TEAM

NESCA Founder and Director Ann Helmus, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who has been practicing for many years. A highly-skilled clinician, consultant and compelling speaker, she is prominent locally and in high demand internationally.

Dr. Helmus is not accepting new patients.

Dr. Asher enjoys working with a wide range of children and teens, including those with autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, attention difficulties, and executive functioning deficits. She works with children whose complex profiles are not easily captured by a single label or diagnosis. She has a passion for helping young children and parents navigate their “first touch” with mental health care or developmental concerns.

Mariella Batista, as a practicum student, has had the opportunity to work with children, adolescents, and young adults across various settings. She has experience in intellectual, personality, and projective assessments, neuropsychological assessments, as well as in individual and group therapy. Additionally, she has broadened her experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in school environments.

Dr. Burns conducts comprehensive evaluations of school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults with a variety of developmental, learning, and emotional difficulties. She has expertise in the evaluation of individuals following a concussion/mild traumatic brain injury and particularly enjoys working with individuals with attention (ADHD) and executive functioning (EF) difficulties. Dr. Burns is passionate about helping individuals and their families better understand their areas of strength and weakness and provides tailored treatment recommendations based upon that unique profile to make the evaluation most helpful for each client.

Dr. Creedon offers her expertise in evaluating children and teens with a variety of presenting issues. She is interested in uncovering an individual’s unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses to best formulate a plan for intervention and success. She tailors each assessment to address a range of referral questions, such as developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, attention challenges, executive functioning deficits, and social-emotional struggles. She also evaluates college-/grad school-age individuals with developmental issues, such as ASD and ADHD, particularly when there is a diagnostic clarity or accommodation question.

Dr. Currie specializes in evaluating children, teens, and young adults with complex profiles, working to tease apart the various factors lending to their challenges, such as underlying learning, attentional, social, or emotional difficulties. She particularly enjoys working with the seemingly “unmotivated” child, as well as children who have “flown under the radar” for years due to their desire to succeed. She also evaluates adults for concerns regarding ASD and ADHD.

Dr. Rebecca Dautoff provides comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological (projective) evaluation services for children, adolescents, and young adults who have complex presentations with a wide range of concerns, including attention deficit disorders, psychiatric disorders, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She also values collaboration with families and outside providers to facilitate supports and services that are tailored to each child’s specific needs. She also enjoys evaluating adults, particularly women, who have concerns about ASD or ADHD.

Since 2011, Dr. Gibbons has been a trusted expert at NESCA where she evaluates children presenting with a range of attentional, learning, and developmental disabilities. She has a particular interest in children with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and those with complex medical histories. In addition, she evaluates adults who have concerns about whether they meet criteria for an ASD or ADHD diagnosis.

After working with Dr. Angela Currie in NESCA’s Londonderry, N.H. office from 2023-2024 as a practicum student, Dr. Jessica Greene re-joins NESCA to complete her postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychological assessment. Dr. Greene has a particular interest in understanding clients’ strengths as well as differences, integrating a therapeutic assessment approach, when appropriate.

As a bilingual pediatric neuropsychologist, Dr. Hernandez Medellin conducts comprehensive and culturally sensitive neurodevelopmental and neuropsychological assessments, comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, and effective care plans, providing appropriate recommendations for the client’s school, home, and the community. She specializes in the identification and assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, developmental and learning disorders, and their co-occurrence with anxiety and mood disorders. She also works with children and young adults with acquired brain injuries, epilepsy, brain tumors, strokes, general medical conditions, and genetic disorders affecting the nervous system. She is a native Spanish-speaker, passionate about serving the eclectic and vibrant South Florida community, as well as international patients looking for high-quality and compassionate care.

Dr. Cynthia (Cindy) Hess conducts neuropsychological evaluations as a pediatric neuropsychologist at NESCA. Dr. Hess enjoys working with children and young adults with complex emotional and behavioral profiles. She is skilled at evaluating social and emotional challenges as well as a range of learning profiles. Her experience allows her to guide families in understanding the supports and services their child requires to be successful in school.

Dr. Madeline Manning is committed to providing comprehensive, collaborative evaluations that help families better understand their child’s unique neurocognitive, developmental, learning, and social-emotional profiles. She specializes in the assessment of toddlers, school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults. Her expertise involves working with youth exhibiting a diverse range of clinical presentations, including neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention and executive functioning deficits, learning disabilities, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and associated emotional challenges. Dr. Manning is also trained in the assessment of children with medical complexities, recognizing how health conditions can impact a child’s development and functioning. She partners closely with families to develop practical, personalized recommendations that support each individual’s success and growth at home, in school, and within the community.

Dr. Milana provides comprehensive evaluation services for children and adolescents presenting with a wide range of needs, including attention, communication, learning, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. She particularly enjoys working with children with autism spectrum disorder as well as intellectual disabilities and complex medical conditions. Dr. Milana also evaluates adults who are questioning whether they may have ADHD, ASD, learning challenges, depression, and anxiety.

Dr. O’Brien has been providing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations in the Greater Boston area since 2006. He specializes in the assessment of children and adolescents who present with a wide range of developmental conditions, such as  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder (reading, writing, math), Intellectual Disability, and Autism Spectrum Disorder; as well as children whose cognitive functioning has been impacted by medical, psychiatric, and genetic conditions. He also has extensive experience working with children who were adopted both domestically and internationally.

Dr. Rodriguez specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological evaluation services for children, adolescents, and young adults who have complex presentations and do not fit neatly into one diagnostic “box.” She particularly enjoys working with individuals who have concerns about attention and executive functioning, language-based learning disorders, and those with overlapping cognitive and social/emotional difficulties. Her extensive experience as an outpatient therapist uniquely qualifies Dr. Rodriguez to support students who are struggling emotionally in addition to learning and cognitive difficulties. She also assesses and evaluates adults with emotional concerns or overlapping concerns about cognitive and emotional issues where they may need to tease apart what factors are contributing due to new or increasing problems with school or work.

Dr. Talamo specializes in working with children and adolescents with language-based learning disabilities including dyslexia, attentional disorders and emotional issues. She is particularly interested in, and has worked extensively with, highly gifted children.

Dr. Weieneth is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with children and families with complex diagnostic and treatment needs for the last twenty years. Her areas of specialty include ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, learning disabilities, executive functioning, and school-related challenges. That being said, Dr. Weieneth also understands that not all individuals fit cleanly into diagnostic groups or labels. Her goals for each evaluation are to help families feel comfortable with the process, use all the tools available to best understand each individual’s unique strengths and needs, and to write a clear and comprehensive report that will guide educational and treatment planning.

Dr. Weinberg specializes in the assessment of school-aged children and adolescents with a wide range of concerns including development disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia), language-based learning difficulties, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD), and executive functioning disorders (e.g. slow processing speed). She also has experience in working with individuals with psychiatric difficulties, such as anxiety, mood disorders (e.g. depression), and behavioral disorders. Dr. Weinberg has expertise in working with children with complex profiles or multiple areas of strength and weakness that cannot be encapsulated by a single diagnosis. Dr. Weinberg is passionate about helping families better understand their child’s neuropsychological profile and the impact it may be having on their behavior or functioning in order to best support them in all areas of their life.

Dr. Lyndsay Wood is an occupational therapist, transition specialist and executive function coach who focuses on helping students and young adults with or without documented disabilities to build meaningful skills in order to reach their goals. She oversees NESCA’s Real-life Skills Coaching Program and uses occupation-based assessments, interventions, and strategies to develop executive functioning, life skills, emotional regulation, and other key transition-related skills. She utilizes a client-centered and relational approach to ensure clients are directing their own services and progress.

Leanna Avery, MA CRC, is a transition specialist who brings over a decade of experience to her coaching at NESCA. She currently works as a special educator in a public school in New Hampshire. She has several years of experience as a transition coordinator, also in New Hampshire, and a vocational rehabilitation counselor at an education collaborative in Massachusetts. Mrs. Avery has experience working with individuals with a wide range of disabilities and looks forward to supporting individuals in identifying their areas of need, achieving their goals, and helping them discover and reach their full potential.

Ms. Bridge has focused much of her occupational therapy career on mental health, working across inpatient, partial hospitalization, and school settings. Experienced in serving individuals aged 4 to 26, she addresses key areas including life skill engagement, self-regulation, executive functioning, and routine development. Ms. Bridge has extensive experience with a range of diagnoses, including mental health conditions, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and developmental delays.

The combination of Michelle’s clinical and educational background has allowed her to work with students using a “whole child” approach. Additionally, Michelle has taught graduate level classes focusing on adolescent psychology and language-based reading instruction. She uses all of her varied experience to build strong relationships with the students she coaches, which she believes are paramount to success.

Shantille is excited to be coaching individuals to help improve their real-life skills and executive functioning skills. She is passionate about and motivated by working with people in their natural environment and using a collaborative approach to problem solve real-time barriers with strategies or tools!

Julia Kallis is a licensed occupational therapist in Massachusetts with experience in school-based settings. She is passionate about helping her clients reach their goals and realize their full potential. Julia employs a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach, collaborating closely with clients and their families to create personalized interventions that foster growth and independence.

Sarah LaFerriere, M.Ed., is a transition specialist and special educator who has nearly a decade of experience working with transition aged students in public schools, college, and home-based settings. She provides transition assessment, consultation, and coaching services to a wide range of clients, and specializes in supporting students with autism, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and medical conditions.

At NESCA, Mrs. Simon works as a transition specialist and psychoeducational counselor. She works with adolescents, their families, and their school communities to identify and build the skills necessary to achieve their postsecondary goals. Mrs. Simon provides transition assessment (including testing, functional evaluations, and observations), program observations and evaluations, case management and consultation, and individualized counseling and skills coaching.

Dr. Sophie Zeif is Licensed Occupational Therapist in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, specializing in pediatrics and occupational therapy in the developing world. Dr. Zeif has worked at NESCA full-time as a transition specialist and now works as a per diem Real-Life Skills Coach as part of NESCA’s transition team.

Jessica Hanna is an experienced pediatric OT who conducts assessments and provides treatment of children and adolescents with a broad range of challenges and disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, visual impairments, cerebral palsy, executive function deficits and developmental disorders of motor function.

Neurodiversity-affirming Speech-Language Pathologist Eve Berne has deep knowledge in the assessment and treatment of children and young adults with articulation, phonological, expressive and receptive language, executive functioning, and social pragmatic needs. Eve also has experience working with clients with autism, hearing loss, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities. What she loves most about being a speech-language pathologist is the opportunity to help people feel empowered to communicate effectively and authentically.

Now Booking in September, 2025

Olivia Rogers is a licensed speech-language pathologist with experience in pediatric clinics and public schools, working with children from age 2 through young adulthood across a range of communication challenges. With a special interest in the connection between oral language and literacy, Ms. Rogers is trained in the Orton-Gillingham method and the Brain Frames program, supporting students in language comprehension, expression, and written organization. She is dedicated to making therapy engaging and personalized for each child.

Dot Lucci is an international consultant and speaker who specializes in program design and the inclusion of children and adolescents with special needs, especially those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dot directs NESCA’s consultation services to public and private schools, colleges and universities, businesses, and community agencies. She also provides psychoeducational counseling directly to students and parents.