We do not accept third party payment for our services, meaning that parents are responsible for paying our fee directly to us in full. Even though we are not in-network for any insurance company, some parents have had success seeking reimbursement for a portion of our fee through their out-of-network benefit. At the parent feedback session, you will be provided an invoice that provides a diagnostic code or codes, lists the services provided with the corresponding procedural codes and all of the tests administered, and that reflects the amount that you have paid. If you would like to check with your insurance company to see if you have any out-of-network coverage, we recommend calling your insurance provider and specifically asking about the procedural codes (i.e., CPT’s) that we bill under which are as follows: 90791 (initial parent interview), 96132 and 96133 (neuropsychological test interpretation and report writing) and 96136 and 96137 (neuropsychological test administration). Importantly, you will also want to ask if you need pre-authorization and the procedure that needs to be followed. If pre-authorization is needed, this usually entails having the psychologist that will be evaluating your child call your insurance company, speak with a customer service agent or a clinician that works for your insurance company and/or the filling out of paperwork; we are happy to do this for you, though bill a nominal administrative fee for our time. Please be aware, however, that even if you are told by your insurance company that you have out-of-network coverage and pre-authorization has been obtained, there is still no guarantee that you will get any reimbursement. 

Within the practice, there are two psychologists, Dr. Elizabeth Cutner and Dr. Katherine Blake. Once your child’s evaluation is assigned to one of our schedules, that is the psychologist that will be meeting with you for the initial parent appointment and parent feedback session, as well as administering all of the testing to your child.  

For admission testing, results are emailed to parents within 24 hours of the testing appointment.

For comprehensive evaluations, at the time of the initial parent appointment, a date is chosen for the parent feedback session, so you will know exactly when you will be hearing the results and have the report in hand. The feedback session usually occurs approximately two weeks after the testing has been completed. At the feedback session, results of your child’s test performance are reviewed in detail and a comprehensive report write-up is provided that includes background information, observations made during the testing process, descriptions of the tests administered and your child’s scores, as well as a summary of findings. Individualized recommendations are also included in the report that specify what can be implemented within the academic environment, as well as what parents can do to support their child’s success.

We recommend that parents tell their child that everyone has areas of strength and areas that are more challenging and that they will be meeting with someone who specializes in figuring out how a student learns best. Please let your child know that some of the activities are supposed to be easy and some are supposed to be hard and that they are not necessarily supposed to be able to answer every question or complete every item; the only goal is that they try their best. You can also mention that there is a prize box at the end of the process so that they can be rewarded for their hard work!

Since some children, particularly those that are younger, can experience worry when told they are going to a doctor’s appointment because they are afraid they are going to get a shot, as opposed to having children call us Dr. Cutner or Dr. Blake, we usually have children refer to us by our first names (Elizabeth or Katherine or Ms. Elizabeth or Ms. Katherine) as a way to ease potential anxiety.

The only preparation that is needed is to try to set the stage for your child to get a good night of sleep the evening(s) prior to the testing appointment and to feed them a satisfying (healthy) breakfast the morning(s) of testing. Please be aware that IQ tests, such as the WPPSI-IV, WISC-V and WAIS-IV are intended to assess inherent intellectual potential and were designed to be administered to children who have not had any prior exposure and/or practice with the types of tasks included on the test. In light of this, when there is indication that your child is familiar with the test demands and/or specific items, scores are considered invalid and, if testing is being completed for independent school admission, the results will not be accepted by the schools to which your child is applying. Additionally, IQ test scores are typically considered invalid if the test has been previously administered within the past twelve months.

We do recommend that parents of children 7 and younger plan to remain in our waiting room while we complete the testing, as we have found that children of this age often feel most comfortable knowing that a parent is nearby. In the waiting room, there is the availability to plug in your laptop or smartphone and to access Wi-Fi. For children ages 8 and older, while parents are more than welcome to remain on site, it is not necessary. As long as we have a way of contacting you should there be an emergency or if the timing of a session needs to be adjusted, parents can feel free to leave after introducing their child to the psychologist and then just return at the designated pick up time. 

If your child usually takes medication on school days, please have them take their medication prior to arriving at the office on the days of testing, unless the psychologist and you have discussed an alternative plan. Additionally, if they wear eyeglasses, please have them bring them to every testing session. 

While we have snacks to offer (e.g., pretzels, goldfish crackers, fruit chews, granola bars, etc.), parents are encouraged to pack a lunch for their child or specific snacks if they feel that the child will be hungry for something more substantial or if there are dietary restrictions/allergies that need to be accommodated. In addition, please plan to have your child bring a water bottle so that they can stay hydrated; filtered water for refilling water bottles is available.  

Our practice specializes in completing diagnostic evaluations to identify possible learning challenges (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, etc.) and administering IQ and academic testing when it is required as part of the independent school admission process. When the need for therapy, tutoring and/or executive functioning coaching is indicated based on testing results, we provide parents with the contact information for competent providers in the area that we feel would be a good match; in this way, parents are in a position to put into action the recommendations that are made in the report.