Ph: 703-951-7527
Ph: 703-951-7527
A BIT ABOUT NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
Neuropsychology is the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior. In children and adolescents, neuropsychological evaluations assess several cognitive domains, psychological and behavioral factors, and academic achievement. Going beyond what is obtained from a psychoeducational evaluation, results from a neuropsychological evaluation can provide insight into how an ongoing neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism, attention) or medical concern is impacting a child's cognitive processing. A neuropsychological evaluation can also offer a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive processes contributing to a child’s behavior, reveal how a child learns best, identify specific learning disabilities, and provide targeted intervention strategies to help the child succeed.
There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what they cannot do.
-Temple Grandin
ABOUT US
Dr. Catherine McGill is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist with a particular interest in helping families understand their child’s unique potential from a strength-based approach. Dr. McGill specializes in assessing children with a variety of complex medical or neurodevelopmental concerns, but has a particular subspecialty in working with children and young adults who are experiencing a prolonged or complicated recovery from concussion. No matter the referral question or presenting concern, Dr. McGill is passionate about using information discovered from a neuropsychological evaluation to team-up directly with families and other medical and/or school providers to "fine-tune" the best supports and interventions for a child.
In line with her passion of combining clinical work with advocacy and outreach, Dr. McGill is currently the Neuropsychological Consultant for the Princeton University Tigers, Symposium Director of the Sports Neuropsychology Society, and Clinical Director for the Virginia Concussion Initiative. Dr. McGill is also the Outreach Coordinator for the Children's National SCORE Program, where she previously held a clinical faculty appointment in the Division of Neuropsychology and was an Assistant Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. McGill's prior training includes an APPCN-approved fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the Children's National Medical Center and specialized internship in pediatric neuropsychology and special immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Mailman Center for Child Development. Dr. McGill completed her graduate training at the American School of Professional Psychology.
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Dr. Elpida Nissirios is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. She specializes in conducting comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations with children, adolescents, and young adults with a wide range of conditions that impact learning, behavior, and social-emotional functioning, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and social cognitive weaknesses. Dr. Nissirios strives to gain a comprehensive view of each child’s strengths and weaknesses, while also helping families understand their child’s unique potential. She is a strong advocate for children and is dedicated to providing recommendations that are ideally matched to the needs of children and their families.
Dr. Nissirios completed her graduate training at American School of Professional Psychology. Throughout her training, Dr. Nissirios developed skills in neuropsychological assessment, psychotherapy, parent training, and behavior management of children and young adults. She was fortunate to have exceptional training experiences including Children’s National Medical Center, Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, and Kennedy Krieger Institute. She then went on to complete her predoctoral internship at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. Following this training, Dr. Nissirios completed a two year APPCN-approved fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with areas of focused interest to include complex medical, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Each of these experiences has provided Dr. Nissirios with a very rich understanding of child development. Dr. Nissirios understands that every individual has his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses, and it is her goal to help identify these exceptional characteristics, so your child is able to reach his or her highest potential. Dr. Nissirios is also fluent in Greek.
Dr. Ashley Strong is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist, licensed in Maryland and Virginia and graduate of a two-year APPCN-approved postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s National Health System in Pediatric Neuropsychology. During her postdoctoral fellowship she received extensive training in conducting comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorders, as well as psychological and complex medical conditions. Dr. Strong also received specialized training in evaluating and managing concussions in children, adolescents, and young adults as part of the Safe Concussion Outcomes Recovery and Education (SCORE) clinic at Children’s National. Dr. Strong obtained her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During her graduate training, Dr. Strong received multiple years of training conducting neuropsychological assessments across the lifespan in outpatient community health centers, private practices, and at Cleveland Clinic Florida. Prior training endeavors also included neuropsychological evaluation of retired NFL players as well as provision of parent training, support groups, and individual therapy to children and adolescents with a history of trauma. Dr. Strong completed her graduate training with a predoctoral internship at Broward Health Medical Center and Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital and was elected Chief Intern. Dr. Strong is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society and Sports Neuropsychology Society. She values staying current on research to provide the most up to date evidence based treatment recommendations. Dr. Strong is committed to helping families identify their child’s strengths and challenges to develop individualized recommendations to address areas of need and maximize their success.
Dr. Fern Baldwin is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist with extensive knowledge of child development, brain-behavior relationships, and evidence-based interventions. This allows her to optimize a child’s potential across home, school, and community settings. She uses a holistic, individualized, and strength-based approach to assist with diagnosis, treatment planning, and educational programming, while collaborating with caregivers, physicians, therapists, and teachers to formulate targeted recommendations. Throughout the evaluation process, Dr. Baldwin aims to empower families to develop a comprehensive understanding of a child’s unique constellation of strengths and challenges and use this knowledge to become strong advocates. Dr. Baldwin received her B.A. in psychology at Cornell University and completed a two-year postbaccalaureate fellowship at The National Institute of Mental Health’s Laboratory of Brain and Cognition. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at George Washington University. Her specialty training includes multiple practicum placements at Children’s National Medical Center, and she completed her APA-accredited predoctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI). Dr. Baldwin completed an APPCN-approved fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center before working as a clinical neuropsychologist at KKI’s Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Through her training and work experience, Dr. Baldwin developed a specialty in autism spectrum disorders while gaining expertise in assessing children, adolescents, and young adults presenting with a wide range of medical, neurological, developmental, attention, learning, and social-emotional-behavioral concerns.
ASSESSMENT SERVICES
Unlock Your Child's Potential
A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation provides detailed information about your child’s cognitive, psychological, behavioral, and academic functioning. Specific cognitive domains assessed include intelligence, visual and verbal learning/memory, language, fine motor, and visual motor/visual spatial abilities. Brief and sustained attention as well as many aspects of executive function (e.g., inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning/organization) are also evaluated. All core academic domains are assessed and compared to the child’s cognitive skills to detect if an underlying learning disability is present. Information gathered about your child’s social-emotional and behavioral functioning is then integrated into what is discovered about their cognitive and academic abilities, providing a complete understanding about why your child may be exhibiting challenges in the home, school, or social setting. This evaluation includes two days of assessment, a discussion of all results with the family, and a comprehensive report able to provide ample information to facilitate an individualized treatment or intervention plan.
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A more focused neuropsychological evaluation, including brief assessment and consultation necessary for concussion intervention and treatment planning, is available upon request if deemed clinically appropriate.
ADMISSIONS TESTING
This brief assessment is designed to capture information about your child's intellectual abilities and satisfy necessary admissions requirements for some private schools.
CONSULTATIONS
Our neuropsychologists are available upon request for in-office consultation with families or community-based consultation with schools and community partners.
Most services provided by McGill Neuropsychology are "insurance friendly" and may be covered in full or partially by several out-of-network medical or mental health insurance plans. Families will be provided with all costs prior to the appointment and given the necessary paperwork to file a claim with their insurance company after rendered services. Payment plans available upon request.
COMPREHENSIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER EVALUATION
This evaluation assesses for a possible autism spectrum disorder and is appropriate for children and adolescents who exhibit difficulties with social development, communication/language, and/or behavioral difficulties. Families may choose between a comprehensive evaluation or diagnostic service. The latter is a brief evaluation focused on assessing a child's intellectual (IQ) and social functioning.​
CONTACT
MCGILL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
4416 East West Highway, Suite 201
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
8401 Greensboro Drive, Suite 550
McLean, Virginia 22102
Phone: 1-703-951-7527
Fax: 1-571-402-1136