What to Expect
What to Expect
Every family’s path looks a little different, but each evaluation at ClearStep follows a structured, collaborative process designed to find answers and outline clear next steps.
Dr. Wolfe does every part of the evaluation herself — the interview, the testing, the feedback session, and the report. Nothing is handed off to a technician or trainee.
Initial Consultation
I begin with an in-depth conversation to discuss your child’s history, your current concerns, and your goals. This helps me tailor the evaluation to your specific questions and ensure I am addressing what matters most to your family.
Records & Questionnaires
To build a complete picture, I gather relevant background information. This includes reviewing school records, IEPs, or medical reports, and asking you—and often your child’s teachers—to complete questionnaires about how your child functions in daily life.
Evaluation & Testing
Your child will complete a customized, age-appropriate assessment in a warm and supportive environment. Because I personally conduct all testing, I can pace the day to your child’s needs. I build in breaks whenever necessary to ensure your child stays comfortable and performs at their best.
Integration & Report Writing
I analyze the test results alongside your child’s history to create a comprehensive, easy-to-read report. This document is built to be a practical tool for your family and school. It features a straightforward executive summary, a clear explanation of what the results mean, and a customized list of resources. Most of the report is written before the feedback session, but I don’t send it until after I meet with you — right up to that last conversation I’m still collaborating, so anything that comes up can be corrected, included, or emphasized in the final report.
Feedback & Action Plan
I meet with you to discuss the results, starting with your child’s unique strengths and explaining how they learn and process information. You will leave this session with a prioritized, step-by-step action plan—not an overwhelming list—spanning practical strategies for home, school, and community support. After the evaluation, I remain a resource — available for your follow-up questions and, with your written consent, to share results and coordinate with your child’s school, pediatrician, or other providers.
Appointment Details & Timelines
Because every child’s needs are unique, the length of appointments will vary based on your child’s age and the complexity of the questions I am answering. I pace the time to ensure your child feels supported and never rushed.
1. Intake Consultation (60 to 90 minutes)
This parent-only meeting allows me to deeply discuss your child’s history, current challenges, and goals. The length depends on your child’s age and the complexity of their background.
2. Testing Session (2 to 5 hours)
This face-to-face evaluation is highly individualized. Younger children or those with targeted questions typically require shorter sessions (around 2 hours), while older youth or more complex evaluations may take up to 5 hours. I build in plenty of time for breaks, snacks, and pacing to your child’s natural rhythm.
3. Feedback Session (45 to 60 minutes)
In this meeting, I review the results, discuss what they mean for your child’s daily life, and map out your step-by-step action plan. The duration is tailored to ensure there is ample time to answer all of your questions and thoroughly review my recommendations.
Report Delivery (1-Week Turnaround)
You won’t have to wait weeks for answers. Your comprehensive, written report will be finalized and shared with you within one week of your feedback appointment, giving you the tools you need to take action quickly.
I can share your report electronically through SimplePractice (my secure medical-record system), mail a hard copy to your home, or both — whichever you prefer.
Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy
To provide the highest quality of individualized care, I reserve dedicated blocks of time exclusively for your child. Because these long testing blocks are difficult to fill on short notice, I require advance notice for cancellations and rescheduling.
Intake & Feedback Appointments: I require at least 2 business days’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Cancellations with less than 2 business days’ notice will incur a fee of $100.
Testing Appointments: Because this is a significant block of clinical time, I require at least 2 business days’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Cancellations with less than 2 business days’ notice will incur a fee of $300.
The Pediatric Illness, Parent Illness, and Unsafe Winter Weather Exception
I want to ensure your child is feeling their best on testing day so I can capture their true capabilities. If your child wakes up sick (fever, vomiting, or highly contagious symptoms) on the morning of testing, please contact me immediately. I will waive the late cancellation fee for sudden illness, provided the appointment is rescheduled.
Before Your Visit
Preparing for Testing Day
This guide is designed to help families prepare for their child’s upcoming neuropsychological evaluation. Proper preparation minimizes test anxiety and ensures the validity of the clinical results by allowing the child to perform at their baseline cognitive level.
1. Rest & Sleep Hygiene
The night before: Ensure the child goes to bed at their usual time. Aim for a full night of age-appropriate sleep (typically 9–11 hours for school-aged children).
Routine: Maintain the child’s standard bedtime routine to minimize anticipatory anxiety. Avoid introducing new sleep aids or changing sleep environments the night before testing.
2. Nutrition & Hydration
Breakfast: Provide a high-protein, low-sugar breakfast on the morning of testing to ensure sustained energy levels and prevent rapid blood sugar fluctuations.
Snacks: Pack several small, familiar, easy-to-eat snacks (e.g., fruit, crackers, cheese, nuts). Avoid high-sugar treats that may cause energy crashes.
Hydration: Bring a spill-proof water bottle. Proper hydration is critical for maintaining attention and cognitive stamina.
3. Medication Management
Standard protocol: Unless explicitly instructed otherwise by the evaluating neuropsychologist or prescribing physician, administer all daily medications at their usual times and doses. This includes medications for ADHD, anxiety, asthma, or allergies.
Disruption avoidance: Do not initiate, discontinue, or alter medication regimens immediately prior to testing, as this will confound the evaluation results.
4. Attire & Comfort
Clothing: Dress the child in comfortable, layered clothing (e.g., sweatpants, t-shirts, hoodies). Testing rooms can vary in temperature, and physical comfort directly impacts sustained attention.
Sensory needs: If the child has specific sensory sensitivities, ensure their clothing is tagless or made of preferred fabrics.
Corrective lenses/devices: If the child wears prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, or hearing aids, they must bring and wear them during the evaluation.
5. Preparing the Child Psychologically
Framing the day: Explain the evaluation to the child using age-appropriate, non-threatening language. Avoid terms like “test” or “exam,” which can induce anxiety.
Reassurance: Remind the child that they cannot “fail” these activities, and that some tasks will feel very easy while others will feel very hard. The goal is simply for them to try their best.
6. Logistics & Parent/Guardian Role
Punctuality: Arrive 10–15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to allow the child to acclimate to the office environment and complete any outstanding intake paperwork.
Parent presence: A parent or legal guardian must remain on-site or nearby for the duration of the testing. However, parents are generally not permitted in the testing room, as observer presence can alter a child’s performance and compromise standardized testing conditions.
Familiar comforts: For younger children, bringing a favorite comfort item (e.g., a stuffed animal or small toy) for breaks can help ease transitions.
How to Explain Testing Day to Your Child
Very young children (ages 4–7)
“In a few days, we are going to visit a special teacher called a brain doctor. Their job is to figure out how your brain likes to learn and play!
When we go, you will get to do a lot of different activities. You’ll play with blocks, look at picture books, solve puzzles, and answer some fun questions. Some of the games will be super easy, and some might feel a little tricky, and that is exactly how they are supposed to be. You don’t have to get everything right; you just have to try your best.
I will be waiting right nearby the whole time. You’ll get to take breaks for snacks and water whenever you need them. It’s going to be a fun day of playing and learning about how your amazing brain works!”
Elementary to middle school (ages 8–12)
“Soon, you’re going to meet with a neuropsychologist. That’s a specialist who understands how the brain works and how it helps you learn, pay attention, and remember things.
Think of this like a check-up, but instead of checking your height or your reflexes, we are checking how you learn best. You’ll be doing different activities like solving puzzles, memory games, vocabulary questions, and some computer tasks.
This is not like a school test. There are no grades, and you can’t fail. Some parts will feel really easy, and other parts are designed to challenge you to see where your limits are. The whole point is to find out what your brain is really good at, and what areas might be a little harder for you. Knowing this helps us and your teachers make school and homework much easier and more fun for you.”
Teenagers (ages 13+)
“You have an upcoming appointment for a neuropsychological evaluation. Essentially, this is a comprehensive assessment of how your brain processes, stores, and uses information.
The evaluation involves a series of standardized tasks that look at different cognitive areas, including attention, memory, problem-solving, processing speed, and executive functioning. You’ll be doing a mix of hands-on tasks, verbal questions, and computerized exercises.
The goal of this is to map out your unique cognitive profile. Everyone’s brain has areas of high strength and areas that require more effort. By identifying your specific cognitive style, we can get objective data on how you learn best. This information is highly practical—it will be used to tailor study strategies, identify useful tools or accommodations for school (like extra time or a quiet testing space), and help you advocate for what you need to succeed academically and personally.”
You don’t need to have it all figured out or know exactly what kind of evaluation your child needs. Simply tell me what you are noticing at home or school, and I will help you determine the best next step.
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