P.L.A.N. Assessment Center*
*Diagnostic and developmental assessments
Help Group’s P.L.A.N. Assessment Center is an assessment center dedicated to providing diagnostic and developmental assessments to individuals with suspected neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Intellectual Disability), social-emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, self-esteem), and learning difficulties (e.g., reading, writing, mathematics, underachievement, anxiety, low self-esteem). Our assessments are comprehensive and are tailored to answer families’ and other professionals’ specific questions. We provide families with an understanding of a child’s overall development, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations. Our team includes experienced licensed Clinical Psychologists, Postdoctoral Psychology Fellows, Doctoral Psychology Interns, and Doctoral Psychology Practicum Trainees who work directly with each client and family to provide individualized care.
Services and Assessments
Psychoeducational Assessments measure an individual’s cognitive, academic, and social-emotional functioning in order to answer questions about diagnosis (such as ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, etc), highlight strengths, and provide treatment recommendations.
The Assessment Process
The clinician will meet with you and your child to determine your goals for the assessment, and will tailor the testing battery to answer questions about your child’s diagnosis, strengths, and needs. These assessments typically include measures of:
- Academic ability
- Academic achievement
- Social-Emotional functioning
- Executive Functioning
Common diagnoses include:
- ADHD
- Mood Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders (GAD, Social Anxiety)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Adjustment Disorder
Learning Assessments evaluate an individual’s academic functioning and ability and are specifically related to classroom based and standardized test based performances.
The Assessment Process
These assessments can be less time-intensive, but will provide you with a wealth of information regarding your child’s academic achievement (the level at which they are currently functioning) and academic abilities (the level at which they could or should be functioning).
Common Diagnoses Include:
- Specific Learning Disability, with impairments in reading, writing, and/or math
Autism Assessments are tailored to aid in an initial diagnosis of Autism or to re-clarify an Autism diagnosis or other developmental delays.
The Assessment Process
The clinician can provide an initial diagnosis of Autism, a second opinion, or an updated diagnosis. Clinicians use measures such as the ADOS-2 and ADI-R, but might also use the Vineland or other developmental measures to help you ascertain your child’s current level of functioning and needs.
Common Diagnoses Include:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (including severity)
- Intellectual Disability
- Communication Disorders
Neuropsychological Assessments consist of evaluations across multiple domains to understand complex conditions. These assessments are especially beneficial for individuals with medical conditions and impairments in multiple domains.
The Assessment Process
During each evaluation, a pediatric neuropsychologist examines a wide range of functions:
- Academic skills
- Attention and concentration
- Executive functioning
- Intellectual abilities
- Language processing and speech
- Learning and memory capacities
- Motor functioning
- Sensory capacities
- Visual and nonverbal functions
Common diagnoses include:
- Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Birth injury / Anoxia
- Brain injury or stroke
- Brain tumors
- Epilepsy
- Genetic anomalies
- Infectious diseases
- Learning disabilities
- Lead poisoning
- Tourette’s Syndrome
The Report
The clinician will generate a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation report. This report will consist of the child’s relevant history, the results of the testing in narrative and data formats, a diagnosis section, and recommendations for further treatment. The child will meet with his or her clinician for a one-hour feedback session, during which he or she will be able to go over the information contained in the report, as well as receive his or her own copy of the report.
Fees
We offer a set fee for each type of assessment. The Help Group is a Medi-Cal provider and can also accept payment by check, credit card, and cash.