Childhood and adolescence are, by their very nature times of growth and change. Sometimes that growth and change carries a broad range of stressors and challenges that may disrupt the educational process. Learning disabilities, behavior disorders, ADHD, impairments in cognitive and executive functioning, bullying, social skill deficits, and a variety of underlying psychological problems can get in the way of a child or teenager successfully navigating their personal pathway.

While parents often have “a feeling” that something is not right at school; many times, the classroom teacher will be the first to notice something: a second grader struggling to keep up with his classmates in reading, a fourth grader acting out in class, a seventh grader becoming socially isolated, or a high school student facing repeated disciplinary actions and/or failing grades. Behavior observed in school is often only a symptom of what may be a more complicated issue. Schools may implement an “RTI” intervention to treat the symptom, often without a thorough assessment of the underlying factors that led to the problem in the first place.

It is my professional goal and personal commitment to help children and their families identify and overcome barriers to learning and successful social-emotional functioning. This process begins with a comprehensive psychological evaluation to delineate a child’s strengths and weakness and the factors contributing to the issue of concern. The findings of such an evaluation are then used to develop the most effective scientific intervention available. Interventions may be provided by Pathways (e.g., executive function training, individual counseling) or recommended to school (e.g., additional time for academics, behavior plans, etc.). For more information, please explore our web site.