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Diagnostic Testing Consultants, LLC is a private practice specializing in comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations for students who may be experiencing difficulties with learning and/or attention-related functioning.  In addition, we provide admissions testing for independent school application.

 

At Diagnostic Testing Consultants, we believe that an individual's strengths and weaknesses are not simply the sum of test scores.  Given this, along with test scores, our evaluations strive to provide relevant information about each student's approach to different types of tasks.

 

We are committed to providing high quality services.  All testing is completed by a licensed psychologist, and our top priority is to obtain valid test results while ensuring that each individual has a comfortable and enjoyable testing experience with a warm and caring psychology professional.  In addition, we pride ourselves on producing comprehensive and well-written testing reports in a timely manner.

Diagnostic

Testing

Consultants

Elizabeth Cutner, Ph.D. is the Clinical Director and founder of Diagnostic Testing Consultants, LLC; she is a licensed psychologist in the state of Maryland.  After graduating in 1991 with a B.A. in psychology from Emory University, Dr. Cutner received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Miami University.  In 1998, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship through the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine specializing in the evaluation of developmental disorders, such as learning disabilities, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and autism-spectrum disorders.  Dr. Cutner remained on staff at the Kennedy Krieger Institute until she returned to Montgomery County in 2001.  Since then, she has been working as a psychologist in private practice, specializing in psycho-educational evaluation and consultation.

 

 

Katherine Blake, Ph.D. is also a licensed psychologist in the state of Maryland.  Dr. Blake graduated from Northwestern University in 1995 with a B.A. in psychology.  She then obtained a M.A. in clinical psychology from Binghamton University in 1997 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2001 from the University of South Florida.  In 2003, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship through the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine specializing in the evaluation of developmental disorders, including learning disabilities, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and autism-spectrum disorders, as well as evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents exposed to trauma.  Prior to joining Diagnostic Testing Consultants, LLC, Dr. Blake was on staff at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, conducting evaluations with children and adolescents with learning, attentional, and social-emotional disorders.

 

 

Testing Services

Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation

Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is appropriate for students age six and older who may be demonstrating academic struggles in the areas of reading, writing and/or math, weaknesses sustaining attention in the classroom, problems with physical restlessness (hyperactivity) or impulsivity, and/or difficulties with planning, organization and time management.  A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation entails the assessment of several areas of cognitive processing (verbal abilities, visual-spatial abilities, memory, attention, and executive functions), as well as evaluation of current academic skills in the areas of reading (decoding, comprehension and reading speed), written language (spelling, written expression, writing fluency and handwriting) and math (calculation and applied problem solving).  The evaluation consists of an initial interview with parents (during which concerns and background information are discussed), several hours of one-to-one testing with the student, as well as scoring and integration of parent, teacher and self-report measures of behavior and emotional functioning.  The evaluation fee covers the time spent conducting the testing, writing the formal report, and meeting for a 90-120 minute feedback conference (typically conducted 2-3 weeks after the formal testing).  At the feedback conference, the formal report is provided, and evaluation results and recommendations are discussed. 

Targeted Evaluation                                                                                                    

A targeted evaluation may be appropriate for students who have previously been identified with a learning disability or ADHD, and who currently require re-documentation of their areas of difficulty, but may not need all of the components of a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation as specified above. 

Admissions Testing

Admissions testing is offered for students age two-and-a-half and older, and consists of administration of the Wechlser Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) and/or the Woodcock-Johnson IV: Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV) for application to independent schools.  Admissions testing appointments last approximately 60-90 minutes, depending on the age of the child.  Following testing, a narrative report is sent to parents and to each of the schools that they have designated.  Private consultation is also available for parents who wish to discuss questions that they may have concerning their child's testing performance.

 

Other Services

Brief Consultation                                             

A 60-minute consultation meeting can be scheduled to review past reports/records, and to discuss findings and recommendations.

School Observation

An observation within your child’s school can be scheduled to gather information regarding behaviors of concern within the classroom environment and to make recommendations.  Following the observation, a formal report is provided to parents. 

Educational Advocacy

A psychologist is available to consult with you and attend a school meeting (e.g., IEP, 504 Plan, team meeting, etc.) to advocate for your child's educational programming needs.

Feedback Conference for Student

For students over the age of ten, a feedback session is available during which the evaluator can highlight the student’s areas of strength, as well as areas of weakness, as appropriate, and recommendations for intervention and their rationale are discussed.