Oakland Neuropsychology Blog

What to do when symptoms don’t improve? Kids (and adults) are prone to bumping their heads a time or two during their lifetimes. However, these bumps to the head do not usually result in a serious injury. In fact, our brains are surrounded by three protective layers, called meninges, which absorb the shock of most … Read more

Guardianship Evaluations Parents or loved ones of individuals with disabilities are used to providing support and assistance, as a big part of their role in making sure that these individuals are protected and functioning to their full potential. Sometimes, this includes considering whether guardianship may be indicated once they become adults. This can be a … Read more

Summer, yep, summer break is one of my favorite times to help my students build and strengthen their executive functioning skills. We often hear parents worry that without homework or school activities it will be difficult to maintain or build on executive functioning skills. On the contrary, summer can be a great time to continue … Read more

As an Educational Therapist, we are often asked how we can support students with executive functioning skills, particularly students diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder. Ages ago, when we were in school ourselves, no one talked about Executive Functioning skills.  We were just expected to “get it.” However, executive functioning skills are often very difficult … Read more

When your child is diagnosed with an attentional disorder, it can feel overwhelming at first. At the same time, it can also bring some relief because it offers an explanation about why certain things have been so challenging at home or at school. The question we are often asked after a diagnosis of ADHD is … Read more

We frequently receive calls from parents enquiring about IQ testing for their child. There are different reasons parents may want to obtain this information. The most common reason we encounter is to meet the admission requirements to enroll their child in a school for gifted students. Often, such schools will want a formal assessment of … Read more

Did you know that distractibility, impulsivity, and inattention are core symptoms of ADHD but also of lack of sleep? I remember during my training that one of my professors suggested that we think of ADHD as a ‘diagnosis of exclusion’ meaning that, other possible reasons a child or person is struggling with attention should first … Read more

This is a question that parents often ask me at some point during the assessment process. More often than not, this topic is brought forth when we go over results from their child’s neuropsychological assessment. I might suggest, depending on the findings, that they consider requesting a 504 Plan through their local school district to … Read more

While most individuals with learning disabilities and ADHD are diagnosed as children or adolescents, some are diagnosed with these issues later on as adults, frequently while in college. While they may have been struggling with reading, writing, or math skills over their entire academic careers, they compensated adequately through hard work, extraordinarily high levels of … Read more