Asal Houshiarnejad, PsyD

Many families come to me after months of piecemeal advice. A child may read well but never finish a test, fall apart after school from the effort of holding it together all day, or struggle with friends in ways that are hard to name. Teens and young adults may hit a wall in high school or college, when the workload outpaces the strategies that used to work. Children recovering from a concussion or living with a medical condition may not seem like themselves in the classroom. Parents carry the worry, and often the guilt, of wondering whether they missed something.

A neuropsychological evaluation looks at how your child thinks, learns, pays attention, remembers, and manages emotions, all in one picture. Instead of answering a single yes or no question, it shows why your child is struggling and what will help. I start by meeting with you to understand your concerns, then work with your child across testing sessions and gather input from school. At the end, I sit down with you and walk through every finding in plain language. You leave with a written report and specific recommendations for school accommodations, an IEP or 504 plan, therapy, and support at home. My training in evidence-based treatments, including CBT and parent management training, means my recommendations go beyond a diagnosis to what to do next.

I completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology through the UCLA Semel Institute and The Help Group, after an APA-accredited neuropsychology internship at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital. I have spent more than 10 years evaluating young people with ADHD, learning differences, autism, brain injury, and other neurodevelopmental and medical conditions.

If you have been wondering whether an evaluation could help your child, schedule a complimentary consultation. Our care team will listen to your concerns and help you decide whether testing is the right next step.