Our Process
Families are at the heart of what we do. Our team model and flexible approach allows us to tailor our services to the child’s specific needs and ensure quality care. Our goal is to always develop meaningful and actionable recommendations and to advocate for our patients and families as they work through the process of determining which educational and therapeutic paths to take.
Our Services
Consultation
A consultation is a comprehensive meeting in which your child's developmental, medical, educational, and psychosocial histories are carefully reviewed. Based on this information, we provide personalized recommendations, including potential assessments and services, to create a clear and actionable plan for next steps.
Evaluations and Assessments
Our practice is comprised of highly trained and experienced doctors and professionals specializing in neuropsychology. All evaluations are conducted in-house by our expert team with collaboration from professionals in other disciplines as needed.We integrate insights from families, educators, medical specialists, and therapists to ensure a comprehensive understanding of your child’s strengths and challenges. While we provide diagnoses when appropriate and educate families on their implications, our approach goes beyond assigning a “label”. We are committed to a holistic understanding of each child—one that considers family dynamics, school environment, therapeutic interventions, and individual strengths and areas of growth. By synthesizing this information, we develop an actionable, personalized plan tailored to your child’s unique profile.
Neuropsychological Evaluations
A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is designed to assess an individual’s strengths and challenges, providing highly individualized recommendations for educational and treatment plans. Evaluations are typically sought when there are concerns about developmental delays, learning difficulties, attention deficits, behavior challenges, socialization issues, or emotional functioning. Other reasons for an evaluation may include medical conditions such as chronic illness, genetic diagnoses, or acquired brain injuries resulting from trauma. Neuropsychological evaluations assess various domains, including: cognitive abilities, academic skills (reading, writing, mathematics), attention and executive functioning (planning, organization, impulse control), language, memory, and learning, sensory and fine motor skills, and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. In some cases, a classroom observation may be conducted to gather additional insights into a child’s functioning within a school setting. Following the evaluation, a parent conference will be scheduled with the doctor to review results and develop an appropriate plan. Depending on their age and cognitive abilities, children may also receive direct feedback regarding their assessment results. A comprehensive report will be provided after the feedback session, outlining findings and recommendations. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION: A psychological evaluation focuses on an individual’s personality, behaviors, and social-emotional functioning. The assessment typically includes: Observations and interviews, behavior rating scales, projective testing, personality inventory testing, and norm-referenced standardized psychological assessments. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of the child’s social-emotional functioning, we incorporate collateral information from the family, educators, therapists, and other relevant sources. ACADEMIC EVALUATION: Academic evaluations assess a student’s educational progress and can be conducted independently or as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. These assessments measure academic skills using various measures and integrate findings with other data to inform diagnoses and recommendations. Academic testing is also valuable for monitoring a child’s progress over time and identifying areas that may require additional support or intervention.
Therapy
We offer individual, group, and family therapy, as well as evidence-based parent coaching. Our highly trained clinicians have extensive experience working with children, adults, and families. They specialize in addressing a broad range of challenges, including adjustment difficulties, emotional and behavioral disorders, trauma, and bereavement.
School Consulting
Navigating the educational landscape can be complex, but PALS provides expert guidance to help families make informed decisions about their child’s academic journey. With extensive experience across public, private, boarding, religious/parochial, residential, and specialized education placements in NYC, throughout the country, and internationally, our team offers invaluable insights to support your family. K-12 SCHOOL PLACEMENT: Finding the right school goes beyond academics—it requires a thoughtful consideration of your child’s unique learning profile, personality, strengths, and challenges. Our school placement team has extensive experience in admissions and school placement, enabling families to more easily navigate the school selection process. Our goal is to identify an environment that nurtures your child’s full potential, supports their unique strengths and challenges, and sets them up for long-term success. Whether assessing a current school placement or exploring new options, we provide expert insights and personalized guidance to help families make confident, well-informed educational decisions. COLLEGE COUNSELING: PALS offers personalized college counseling to help students navigate the application process with confidence. Our approach ensures that each student finds a university that aligns with their learning profile and aspirations. We integrate executive functioning skills—such as organization, time management, and study strategies—so students are prepared not only for the application process but also for academic and personal success in college and beyond. Recognizing that the application journey can feel overwhelming, we provide a sounding board and individualized support at every step of the process, helping students feel invested in and excited about this next chapter of their education.
School Observations
Understanding how a child functions in their school environment is essential to making informed educational decisions. PALS provides expert school observations to deliver specific educational recommendations and interventions tailored to your child’s unique learning profile. These observations offer invaluable insights to ensure your child is set up for success in their educational journey. Observing your child in their school or therapeutic setting can be a critical component of assessing their skills outside the evaluation process. These observations help determine whether changes are needed to your child’s educational plan or placement. Our school observation services allow our team to: — Assess a child’s academic engagement, social interactions, and classroom behavior — Identify areas where additional support may be needed — Determine if the current school placement is the right fit — Collaborate with educators and therapists to develop targeted interventions School observations can be conducted as part of a comprehensive evaluation or arranged upon request.
Behavior Support Services
Using practical evidence-based strategies, PALS provides support for families and schools to help manage challenging behaviors. PARENT COACHING: Our Parent Coaches, with expertise in early childhood education and behavior analysis, work closely with families to provide personalized, hands-on strategies for managing challenging behaviors that may be impacting your child's daily life. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS: We offer both large and small group trainings on a range of topics, including Behavior Management Strategies in the Classroom, Early Childhood Development, and Supporting Children with Special Needs in the Classroom. These sessions are designed to enhance the professional development of school staff, equipping them with practical skills and knowledge to better support their students.
Learning Support Services
Our learning specialist gathers information from the student’s family, school, and clinical team to develop a customized plan tailored to the student’s goals. This plan empowers students to become their own advocates by teaching them explicit strategies that boost self-confidence and foster a genuine love for learning.
Referral Services
We provide referrals that are specific to each child’s individual needs. We have close relationships with exceptional behaviorists, speech and language therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, tutors, neurologists, psychiatrists, pediatric sub-specialists, educational consultants, and educational attorneys. We can also make referrals to summer camps, after-school programs, and other supportive environments for your child as needed.
Advocacy
PALS families receive unwavering support from early childhood through adulthood. We are committed to advocating on behalf of your child in any school setting and work closely with all members of your child’s treatment team. Our services include developing 504 plans, participating in IEP meetings, testifying in impartial hearings, and attending school conferences to ensure your child’s needs are met effectively.