Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a neuropsychological evaluation cost?

- A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at Being Balanced typically costs between $2,500 and $3,000, depending on the complexity of the referral question, the amount of testing needed, and the records that must be reviewed. The evaluation generally includes the clinical interview, review of relevant records, administration and scoring of neuropsychological tests, interpretation of the results, preparation of the written report, and a feedback appointment to review the findings and recommendations.

- Being Balanced Psychological Services is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly for neuropsychological evaluations.

- Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account funds may generally be used for eligible services. Clients may also choose to submit documentation to their insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Reimbursement is determined entirely by the individual insurance plan, so we recommend contacting your insurance company before scheduling if you intend to seek reimbursement.

-Private-pay testing allows the evaluation to be based on the clinical questions that need to be answered rather than being limited by an insurance company's authorization requirements.

-NO,  you do not need a physician referral to schedule a neuropsychological evaluation with Being Balanced. Individuals and parents may contact us directly when there are concerns about attention, memory, learning, executive functioning, development, behavior, or changes in cognitive functioning.

There are situations in which another organization may require a referral or specific documentation. For example, a school, attorney, disability program, medical provider, or insurance company may have its own requirements. We can discuss those circumstances with you before the evaluation begins.

-Neuropsychological testing can help identify, clarify, or rule out a wide range of neurological, developmental, cognitive, and psychological conditions.

-Evaluations may help determine whether difficulties are related to conditions such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders, intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, concussion, memory disorders, cognitive changes associated with medical or neurological conditions, and other disorders that affect thinking and everyday functioning.

-Testing can also help determine whether symptoms that appear similar on the surface are actually coming from different causes. Problems with concentration, for example, may be related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, trauma, neurological conditions, medication effects, or several factors occurring together.

-A neuropsychological evaluation looks at the overall pattern rather than relying on a single test score.

-Yes. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation can be very helpful when evaluating ADHD, particularly when the diagnosis is unclear or when other conditions may also be contributing to attention and executive functioning problems.

-ADHD is not diagnosed from one computerized attention test. A good ADHD evaluation considers developmental history, current symptoms, functioning across settings, behavioral rating scales, attention, working memory, processing speed, executive functioning, and other cognitive abilities.

-The purpose is not simply to determine whether someone can pay attention during testing. The goal is to understand whether the overall pattern of symptoms and functioning is consistent with ADHD and whether another condition may better explain the difficulties.

-An ADHD evaluation is specifically focused on determining whether a person meets diagnostic criteria for ADHD and understanding how attention and executive functioning difficulties affect everyday life. - 

- A neuropsychological evaluation is broader:  Neuropsychological testing examines multiple areas of brain-related functioning, which may include attention, executive functioning, memory, language, visual-spatial skills, processing speed, intellectual abilities, academic skills, and emotional or behavioral functioning.  Someone whose primary concern is straightforward ADHD may not always need a full neuropsychological evaluation. A more comprehensive evaluation can be especially useful when the picture is complicated by learning problems, autism, developmental concerns, memory difficulties, neurological history, concussion, traumatic brain injury, significant emotional symptoms, or unexplained changes in functioning.

-The amount of testing varies depending on the person's age, referral question, medical history, and the complexity of the concerns.  A comprehensive evaluation often involves several hours of testing. In some cases, testing may be divided into shorter sessions so that fatigue, attention, pain, or developmental needs do not unnecessarily interfere with performance.  The evaluation process also includes more than the testing appointment itself. Records are reviewed, test results are scored and interpreted, findings are integrated with the person's history, and a comprehensive report is prepared.

- Yes. Being Balanced provides neuropsychological evaluations for adults with concerns involving attention, executive functioning, memory, cognitive changes, neurological conditions, developmental differences, or questions about diagnosis. Adults may seek evaluation because they have struggled throughout their lives and are wondering about ADHD, autism, or a learning disorder. Others are referred because they have experienced changes following concussion, traumatic brain injury, illness, or another neurological or medical condition.  Neuropsychological testing can help identify cognitive strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations for treatment, work, education, daily functioning, and compensatory strategies.

-  Yes. Being Balanced provides neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents.

Parents commonly seek evaluation when a child is struggling with attention, learning, memory, executive functioning, developmental differences, emotional regulation, behavior, or school performance. Testing can help clarify whether concerns are related to ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, intellectual development, neurological factors, emotional concerns, or a combination of factors. The goal is not simply to give a child a diagnosis. The evaluation is designed to explain how the child learns, where difficulties are occurring, what strengths can be used to support them, and what interventions may make daily life and school more manageable.

- Please bring any records that may help us understand the concerns being evaluated.

- Useful records may include previous psychological or neuropsychological evaluations, Individualized Education Programs or 504 Plans, school testing, report cards, medical records, neurological records, imaging reports, medication lists, therapy records, and other relevant evaluations.

Adults may also have previous educational records or documentation related to work or disability concerns.- You do not need to gather every document you have ever received. Records that help establish developmental history, previous functioning, diagnoses, treatment, and changes over time are usually the most useful.

- For children and adolescents, information from parents and teachers may also be requested because understanding functioning across different settings is an important part of the evaluation.

-Yes. Neuropsychological testing can be particularly useful following a concussion or traumatic brain injury, also called a TBI, when there are concerns about changes in thinking or everyday functioning.

People may experience problems with attention, processing speed, memory, organization, mental stamina, emotional regulation, or other cognitive abilities after an injury.

-A neuropsychological evaluation examines whether measurable cognitive weaknesses are present and considers how those findings fit with the person's medical history, injury history, emotional functioning, sleep, pain, medications, and daily functioning.

-Testing may also help identify practical strategies for school, work, rehabilitation, and everyday life.

Importantly, not every cognitive complaint following a concussion is caused entirely by brain injury. Sleep disruption, headaches, pain, anxiety, depression, trauma, medications, and other factors can also affect cognitive functioning. A comprehensive evaluation helps sort through those possibilities.

-Yes. Memory concerns are one of the most common reasons adults are referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Testing can examine several different aspects of memory, including learning new information, remembering information after a delay, recognizing previously learned information, visual memory, verbal memory, and working memory. The pattern of performance can provide important information about why someone is experiencing memory problems. Memory complaints do not automatically mean that someone has dementia or another neurodegenerative disorder. Attention problems, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, medical conditions, medications, chronic stress, ADHD, and other factors can also make memory feel unreliable. A neuropsychological evaluation helps determine whether there is objective evidence of memory impairment and how the person's memory compares with their functioning in other cognitive areas.

- The feedback appointment is where we put all of the pieces together. Your neuropsychologist will review the major findings from the evaluation, explain your cognitive strengths and weaknesses, discuss any diagnoses that are supported by the evaluation, and answer questions about what the results mean in everyday life. We will also discuss individualized recommendations. Recommendations may address medical care, medication discussions with your prescribing provider, mental health treatment, school accommodations, workplace strategies, attention and executive functioning supports, memory strategies, sleep, nutrition, rehabilitation, or other services depending on the findings. The goal is for you to leave the feedback appointment understanding not only what the testing showed, but also what to do with that information.

- For parents, the feedback appointment is also an opportunity to better understand how their child thinks and learns and how adults can support the child more effectively at home, at school, and in treatment.