By Ann Helmus, Ph.D.
Founder & Director, NESCA
A few days ago, a routine blood test showed high cholesterol. My doctor was concerned and suggested I start on a life-long medication.
But here’s what was missing from that recommendation:
Six weeks earlier, I had Covid. When I tested negative, I launched into a grueling stretch of all-day meetings, international travel, public speaking, and disrupted sleep. I never fully recovered.
At the time of my blood test, I was still in a post-viral fatigue phase, which is known to increase cholesterol. All other medical tests showed normal results. Instead of looking at the pattern of test results, my doctor focused on the one abnormal value, which likely reflects my lack of adequate recovery from Covid and travel stress, not an underlying problem with cholesterol.
This experience illustrates an important principle in neuropsychological evaluation: An individual test result rarely speaks for itself. It must be interpreted in the context of other results, history, and clinical observation.
There is no test for ADHD or for ASD or for LD or any of the other conditions that we see. There are only data points to be connected. There is no single test result that can explain: why a child is struggling, what the underlying issue is, or the type(s) of support that will help them thrive.
Those answers come from interpretation that involves:
- Deep developmental history-taking
- Pattern analysis across multiple measures
- Direct clinical observation
- Integration of cognitive, emotional, academic, and behavioral data
- And years of diagnostic experience
A neuropsychological evaluation is not like a Covid test, the results of which can be easily interpreted by a layperson. Neuropsychological testing results need to be carefully analyzed and interpreted by a highly trained professional relying on their experience and clinical judgement to determine the meaning of the results, and, most importantly, what they mean for treatment.
When interpretation is shallow, children are likely to be improperly diagnosed, which leads to:
- Wrong educational placements
- Inappropriate medications
- Mismatched interventions
- Years of frustration for a child who was misunderstood
A high-quality evaluation does not simply label. It provides a proper explanation that leads to meaningful intervention. We don’t treat numbers. We don’t treat checklists. We don’t treat isolated test results. We treat human beings.
About the Author
NESCA Founder and Director Ann Helmus, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who has been
practicing neuropsychology for 35 years and has been director of NESCA’s Neuropsychology practice for nearly three decades, continuously training and mentoring neuropsychologists to meet the highest professional standards.
To book a neuropsychological evaluation at NESCA, complete NESCA’s online intake form.
NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology and related services group practice with offices in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; the greater Burlington, Vermont region; and Coral Gables, Florida, serving clients from infancy through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.
meaningful skills in order to reach their goals. She has spent the majority of her career working in a private school for students with ASD. She has also spent some time working in an inpatient mental health setting. Lyndsay uses occupation-based interventions and strategies to develop life skills, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. While completely her doctoral degree at MGH Institute of Health Professions, Lyndsay worked with the Boston Center for Independent Living to evaluate transition age services. She uses the results from her research to deliver services in a way that is most beneficial for clients. Specifically, she focuses on hands-on, occupation-based learning that is tailored the client’s goals and interests.
About the Author
delays, learning disabilities, attention difficulties and executive functioning challenges. She often works with children whose complex profiles are not easily captured by a single label or diagnosis. She particularly enjoys working with young children and helping parents through their “first touch” with mental health care or developmental concerns.
research and academia for over 30 years. She is a national consultant and speaker on program design and the inclusion of children and adolescents with special needs, especially those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Prior to joining NESCA, Ms. Lucci was the Principal of the Partners Program/EDCO Collaborative and previously the Program Director and Director of Consultation at MGH/Aspire for 13 years, where she built child, teen and young adult programs and established the 3-Ss (self-awareness, social competency and stress management) as the programming backbone. She also served as director of the Autism Support Center. Ms. Lucci was previously an elementary classroom teacher, special educator, researcher, school psychologist, college professor and director of public schools, a private special education school and an education collaborative.
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.
attention deficit disorders, communication disorders, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities. She particularly enjoys working with children and their families who have concerns regarding an autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Milana has received specialized training on the administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
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