Neuropsychologists
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Neuropsychologists
June 2007
We need to get a neuropsychological evaluation for our 12 year old son. Our
insurance (healthnet) may cover it, but the only people they are contracted with
are: John Fahy, Sonya Lifshay, Leonard Price, Michael Rodevich, and Michael Weber. I
know nothing about any of them-has anyone seen any of these psychologists, and do
you have any feedback? Thank you!
We had a full neuro-psych eval. done for our son by Jack Fahey. He is an
exceptionally caring, objective, and bright person. I can recommend him
highly. He gave me a lot of time to understand any questions I had. Very
thorough and highly competent.
anon.
We had a good experience with John Fahy, who did a neuropsych eval on our
13-year-old a few years ago. He was thorough, yet made the experience quite
enjoyable for our child, and produced a clear, comprehensible report.
anon
Of the Neuropsychologists you mentioned (my partner has worked with all of
them at Herrick), Jack Fahy has the most expertise with children. He is a
good guy. Sonia has retired. This is not the group that most folks would
consult with for school related issues, but they are all good with the
medical/psychological part of the picture.
Melanie
March 2006
We'd like feedback on the neuropsychologists who have been
recommended to us: Alex Peterson, Kristin Gross, Cynthia
Peterson, and Carolyn Johnson (and any others you may really
like). This is for an evaluation of a preschooler with an
autistic spectrum disorder -- we need very specific and clear
recommendations re education and treatment. Thank you.
Anonymous
I really like Cynthia Peterson and Chi Johnson. They are good
at follow-up, both in person and on the phone and will advocate
at the school as well.
anon mom
Oct 2005
My 16 year old daughter needs to have a neuropsychological
evaluation. We are new to the area and have no idea where to
look. She has a history of cognitive problems due to a
childhood onset of Multiple Sclerosis and I know I will need
this exam to help her get the accommodations she needs for
standardized testing like the SAT's. If anyone knows of a
competent, reasonable neuropsychologist, I would really
appreciate the recommendation. Thanks
Rochelle Wolk, Ph.D., is fabulous - many years of experience,
thorough evaluation, and a clear report with helpful
recommendations. Her office number is 510-658-7445.
anon
You have a terrific Neuropsychologist right in Berkeley. Her
name is Dr. Elea Bernou, (925) 457-4214. She lives in Berkeley,
may practice in Walnut Creek. She's very compassionate and
really well trained. My husband saw her recently and was very
impressed. Her specialty is children and teens.
Julie
May 2005
My child is an elementary school student at Berkeley Unified.
The school district completed a very shoddy special education
evaluation of her, relying primarily on the work of a student
intern. We have requested a second evaluation and we have been
given a selection of four outside assessors. Does anyone know
anything about: Cheryl Jacques, Caroline Johnson, Vincent Nunno
or Teresa Doyle. Thank you.
Theresa Doyle is one of the best people in the bay area for
this sort of thing. You really can't do any better -- but you
might have to wait. Sometimes she's booked far in advance
because she is so good. She is quite experienced, incredibly
smart, very warm and compassionate. She will give you feedback
you can use and she will connect well with your child. I have
worked with her professionally in various capacities and I also
hear nothing but good things about her from other people. Good
Luck!
Diane
I have worked with Dr. Teresa Doyle for a neuropsychological
assessment for one of my own children, as well as some of the clients I
have worked with in my private practice. She is excellent, and has a
long waiting list. She may be worth waiting for, however. Her reports
are thorough, her approach to parents and children respectful, kind, and
in the spirit of discovery vs. pathology. Her reports have helped me both
personally and professionally know more about a child: how they tick
cognitively and emotionally, and what specific interventions would be
useful.
Another neuropsychologist I have found to both work well with clients
and parents, and who writes good reports is Dr. Alex Peterson at
Children's Hospital, Oakland.
Laura
Welcome to the special ed maze.
You don't have to choose from the school district's list, which is another story. (You
might want to consult a special education advocate.)
However, I've heard Dr. Vincent Nunno speak and describe his work, and I was
impressed enough that I'd trust him to do a thorough, accurate evaluation.
Betsy
March 2005
We just received our 11-year-old daughter's standardized test
scores and were a bit dismayed at the results. Upon further
checking, we've realized that every year since second grade her
scores have been declining. Her vocabulary score was very low.
Our family therapist has advised a comprehensive neuropsych
evaluation (including IQ test) to help us determine whether she
may have learning disabilities of some sort. He recommended Dr.
Kristine Gross at CHO. We were wondering whether anyone has had
personal experience with Dr. Gross or CHO.
As we've been trying to get up to speed on this new development,
we feel like we are getting more confused than anything else.
Some people say a neuropsych eval is recommended if your child
has had a head injury (ours has not). Others say some neuropsych
evals don't look at emotional issues that may also have a
bearing on learning issues. We were under the impression that a
neuropsych eval was a specific set of tests, but apparently that
is not true. Different practitioners might do different tests
and potentially interpret the results in different ways. The
level of training also can vary from one practitioner to
another. As the process involves a big time commitment and a lot
of money, we want to make sure we are seeing the right person
for our daughter. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who
may have been through this. What should we look for? What kinds
of questions should we ask? What should we expect in the final
report?
Thanks in advance to anyone who may have something to share.
anonymous
I haven't heard of that neuropsychologist, but have a lot of
experience working with Caren Kovar, Ph.D. who is located at
the Childrens' Health Council at Stanford. She is excellent.
Deborah
I am a school psychologist. I do not know of the clinician from CHO you mention, but in
graduate school I did have some superivision with Carolyn
Johnson, Ph.D., who was with CHO and now is in private
practice. She was incredibly astute, dedicated, and thorough
and had a wonderful style with her child clients. I continue to
hear good things about her. One thing you may have already
learned is that there is a long waiting list at CHO, as well as
for most private clinicians (sometimes 3 to 6 months).
Feb 2005
Does anyone have any experience with neuropsychologists
Cynthia Peterson or Dr. Robert Solley? They both apparently
assess children. My child shows some signs of possibly
being dyslexic, and has some auditory processing and
memory issues. I don't know if this is the way to go or if we
should be working with a educational therapist. Thanks for
any information regarding your experience with these
people, any other neuropsychologists you have worked with,
and the assessment process.
Many Thanks
Our son was recently diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and he
also has dyslexia, dysgraphia and processing issues. His
neuropsych assessment was done by Dr. Alex Peterson at the
Neuropsychology Assessment Service of Children's Hospital
Oakland. We were very pleased with the assessment. Dr.
Peterson gave us lots of information about our son and
recommendations for his care and education including names and
numbers of recommended educational therapists and other
providers. Unfortunately, the wait time to get the appointments
for the assessment was several months and it was not covered by
our insurance.
Dr. Peterson's phone number is (510) 428-3885 ext. 2809
Good luck
Feb 2000
Can anyone recommend a neuropsychologist for assessment? My almost-12 year
old has ADHD, a learning disability, and is highly gifted. I feel it
important to find someone who understands all of these conditions and their
interaction, since they seem to mask and compensate for each other. I don't
think the school has a handle on what he needs and I know his teacher
doesn't, since she ignores his special ed plan. I've read the Parents' list
recommendations for ADHD assessment, and note that Brad Berman is highly
recommended, is he appropriate for this? A knowledgeable professional has
recommended Bob Kaufman, so I'm inclined to pursue that - anyone have
experience with him? Children's gave me the names of Corinna Grandison and
Theresa Doyle, any experience with them? I'm not even sure what's entailed
compared to a psychoeducational assessment (which he's had). How much does
this cost? I've heard $1000-2500.
Dana
Myla Young, PhD. She was a teacher of mine and not only a wonderful
neuropsypchologist, but a warm, down to earth person. jennifer
I highly recommend Carina Grandison. She is bright, thoughtful, and very
sensative to children and parents equally. She has great understanding of
children, development, and how they are effected by learning environments.
She will be able to discuss your child's needs and make recommentations for
home, school settings and learning stragegies. I work with Carina and have
been privilidged to part of a number of her neuropsychological assessments of
some very complex children. Afterwords, everyone involved with these
children had a much better sense of their strengths, struggles, and the
strategies they use to cope, as well as some ideas for helping them manage in
school and at home. I think you will be pleased with her and her work.
I know Teresa Doyle professionally very well and I would highly recommend her.
She is one of the very best Child Neuropsychologist's in the Bay Area and
your child would be fortunate to have an assessment with her. She can be
extremely busy and you may be put on a waiting list for a long time. Her
Psychological Assistant, Michelle Horton is also excellent and I would highly
recommend her if Terry doesn't have time. I would easity recommend a friend
of family member to either one of them.
Sharon
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