What to expect

YES! We’re still conducting no-cost mental health and learning evaluations, and recently re-opened eligibility screening for interested families. See how our evaluation compares to a neuropsychological assessment.

Families who participate in the Healthy Brain Network typically complete their evaluations in 3-4 appointments. Some appointments may be done via video or phone conference, while others are done in-office at one of our two NYC locations.

During appointments, your family works with the Healthy Brain Network clinical team to complete about 12-15 hours of assessments and tasks. Meet the team members you’ll work with during appointments.

Some tasks your family is asked to complete help our team determine if your child has a mental health or learning disorder, while others are for research purposes only and will not be discussed in your feedback report. Even though some tasks are not part of making a diagnosis and will not be covered in your report, your family still must complete all the activities to receive your child’s feedback report.

Below is information about the kinds of things you can expect to do during the program. If you still have questions, you can get additional details on our FAQ page.

Structured Psychological Interview

A qualified clinician will conduct face-to-face interviews with both the study participant and the accompanying parent or caregiver, asking detailed questions about the study participant’s past experiences and mental health history. The results of these interviews will help determine whether the participant may qualify for a diagnosis of a psychological disorder or benefit from further evaluation and treatment.

Brief Neurocognitive Testing

The study participant will complete a battery of computerized tests. These tasks will evaluate the study participant’s cognitive abilities and functioning in a number of areas, including attention, working memory, speed of mental processing, language, visual perception, memory, motor speed and dexterity, and executive functions (such as planning, organizing, and abstract reasoning). Results from these tests will provide information on the participant’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and how the participant may best learn and succeed both inside and outside the classroom environment.

Intelligence and Achievement Testing

The study participant will complete a battery of tests with a qualified examiner. Intelligence tests are aimed at evaluating a participant’s verbal and nonverbal knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Achievement tests measure the extent to which the participant has acquired information or mastered certain academic skills, such as math, reading, and spelling. Results of these tests will help determine whether the participant may qualify for a diagnosis of a learning disorder or may benefit from further evaluation for learning differences and scholastic abilities.

Questionnaires on Feeling, Thoughts, and Behaviors

The study participant as well as the accompanying parent or caregiver will be asked to complete several questionnaires about the participant’s emotions and behaviors, as well as aspects of social experiences and academic performance. Responses to these questionnaires will provide additional details and a fuller picture of the participant’s overall functioning and quality of life.

Fitness and Physical Health Testing

Throughout your family’s participation in the study, your child will be asked to perform some tasks that are for research purposes only. These tasks include but are not limited to: taking a test for color blindness, collection of vital signs and measures of physical fitness.

Imaging (including EEG)

Study participants will complete EEG imaging to investigate overall brain function. Participants will complete tasks and tests during their imaging session. All imaging data collected will be used for research purposes and will not be provided to study participants as part of their feedback report.