By: Ann Helmus, Ph.D.
NESCA Founder/Director
It’s hard to beat Saturday, but Tuesday comes close! Tuesdays at NESCA are all about learning, collaborating, and eating, three of my favorite activities.
We start the day with seminar over continental breakfast. Professionals are invited to NESCA to share their work with us, mostly focused on intervention services for children with special needs so that NESCA clinicians continue to build and refine our knowledge of treatment options. Meeting with service providers in person gives us the opportunity to more deeply understand their philosophy and approach, enhancing our ability to make effective recommendations for our clients.
Mid-day we are back together for case conference and international luncheon cuisine. Clinicians present challenging cases to our whole group of about 15 professionals and we hash out complex diagnostic issues, debate interventions, and synthesize our best ideas into a treatment plan. Witnessing a group of highly skilled clinicians, each contributing his/her own expertise to the cause of helping a child is truly a joy. Research is clear that groups formulate better solutions than individuals. I am grateful to be part of a group of such intelligent, thoughtful, and compassionate clinicians. While the purpose of case conference is clinical care, it is also an incredible opportunity for learning and building the bonds among our staff.
People working together, learning together and helping kids: that’s the essence of my vision for NESCA when I set it up more than a decade ago. And, since its inception, Tuesday has always been a special day at NESCA.
About the Author:
NESCA Founder/Director Ann Helmus, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who hasbeen practicing for almost 20 years. In 1996, she jointly founded the Children’s Evaluation Center (CEC) in Newton, Massachusetts, serving as co-director there for almost ten years. During that time, CEC emerged as a leading regional center for the diagnosis and remediation of both learning disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
In September of 2007, Dr. Helmus established NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents), a client and family-centered group of seasoned neuropsychologists and allied staff, many of whom she trained, striving to create and refine innovative clinical protocols and dedicated to setting new standards of care in the field.
Dr. Helmus specializes in the evaluation of children with learning disabilities, attention and executive function deficits and primary neurological disorders. In addition to assessing children, she also provides consultation and training to both public and private school systems. She frequently makes presentations to groups of parents, particularly on the topics of non-verbal learning disability and executive functioning.
Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.