Neuropsych/ Psycho-ed evaluator for 2E 13/14 year old?
Has anyone had an excellent experience with an evaluator who is especially good with 2E kids?
We would like to book a year or so out, with an evaluator who can produce this report and is particularly empathetic and knowledgeable on 2E (in this case, "gifted"/high IQ /ADHD/Anxiety).
Thankfully we are not in a rush and would like to find the right person for this.
May 11, 2022
Parent Replies
Carina Grandison, PhD, Berkeley. We have the exact same kid -- she was great. It was a good experience for my kid, as well as for me. Her schedule fills months out.
We actually did well with the UC Psychology Department. The evaluation was very thorough, and the accommodations helpful. Just be aware that your child will need to be retested at 16 with the adult instruments for college accommodations. I felt like the Cal Students and the supervisor really “got” our kid.
Not sure if she’s retired but Teresa Doyle. Specializes in complex kids & adults. She evaluated my daughter 10 yrs ago. She is kind, thorough, understands quirky kids & expensive.
Dr. Elea Bernou is a neuropsychologist. She has an office in Lafayette. I’ve had a neuroevaluation with her and so did my middle school aged son. Both of us are 2E. Elea is delightful. She always sees the best in kids and has such a kind and empathetic demeanor. Very knowledgeable as well.
Dr. Elea Bernou: (925) 299-1056
I second Carina Grandison. She was recommended many times here, by my daughter's pediatrition, and by her psychiatrist. She was great for us!
The Summit Center in Walnut Creek specializes in gifted and 2E kids. They did full neuropsych evaluations for both of mine, one of whom is a particularly complex 2E guy. I felt very confident that they were really able to tease apart all of the different things that could be going on and zero in on what supports would be helpful. They were also wonderful to work with; we've gone back to them a few times over the years as different issues have come up, and they've always been so helpful and encouraging. Best of luck to you!
Hi- There was a similar question posted recently and the following paragraph is my response. With regard to 2E, I know both Drs. Grandison and Thompson understand the sensitivity and complexity of issues related to 2E (one of my kids was 2E). They are both very warm and empathic- I felt like they both went out of the way to be supportive of our family. Dr. Grandison does not have a website (but check Yelp), Dr. Thompson's is: www.eastbayadhd.com . Also- you didn't mention how old your kid is but Big Minds school in Pinole (https://www.bigmindsunschool.org/) is FANTASTIC for 2E kids. If the testing does show 2E and your child is the right age, consider doing a tour of the school. Good luck and it's great that you're being so planful about this- I found having a really solid assessor (if that's a word) made all the difference.
Carina Grandison is great- she did an evaluation on my kid a couple of years ago and was very collaborative with us. When my other kid needed neuropsych assessment Dr. Grandison had a long wait list and we found Kim Thompson who we thought was thorough and fantastic. BTW- before we met with Dr. Grandison we met with Dr. Eraklis and thought the evaluation was fine but not excellent and that impression was confirmed once we received evaluations from Drs. Grandison and Thompson. The report from Dr. Eraklis felt more lightweight and less thorough than from the other two, and wasn't that much less expensive. One thing to keep in mind- brace yourself for the cost. Our insurance didn't cover the testing and each assessment cost at least $4K (I don't remember the specifics).
Dr. Aileen Mosig of kodawise.com has 2E gifted young adult kids herself and is brilliant. On the peninsula. Highly recommend. She worked at Summit in Walnut Creek before starting her own practice. Her reports are particularly thorough/comprehensive. I’ve used her for evaluations for my gifted kids and she’s great.