Child & Teen Evaluations for Bedford, Bedford Hills and Bedford Village

Bedford is three communities in one district and, for evaluation purposes, one long educational arc. Dr. Nicole Crispinelli is a licensed psychologist and a Diplomate in School Neuropsychology (American Board of School Neuropsychology). She evaluates children, adolescents and young adults from Bedford at her office in Mount Kisco, roughly ten minutes away.

The Bedford Central School District, and what its shape means

Bedford Central runs seven schools: Bedford Hills Elementary, Bedford Village Elementary, Mount Kisco Elementary, Pound Ridge Elementary and West Patent Elementary, then Fox Lane Middle School and Fox Lane High School.

Five small elementary schools feeding two large secondary schools is a good structure for a community — and it is also the single most common point at which a quiet learning difficulty becomes visible. In a neighbourhood elementary school, a teacher who has known a child for a year adapts to them, often without either of them naming it. At Fox Lane, that adaptation stops. The student now has multiple teachers, a locker, a schedule, and a workload that assumes independent organisation.

Parents frequently describe this as a child who "changed in sixth grade." Usually the child did not change. The environment stopped compensating.

What usually prompts the call

• A confident elementary student whose grades slipped in the first year at Fox Lane Middle

• Homework that consistently takes two or three times as long as it should

• Reading that is accurate but effortful, with comprehension collapsing under time pressure

• Attention concerns without obvious hyperactivity — routinely missed, particularly in girls

• A district evaluation that came back as "not eligible" while the difficulty clearly remains

• Documentation needed for College Board or ACT accommodations, usually with a deadline

• A young adult reassessing after a difficult first year away from home

What the evaluation involves

• A free 15-minute call first — a conversation, not a booked appointment

• A one-hour intake with parents, without the child present. Any previous testing is reviewed as part of that intake

• Six to eight hours of direct testing with the child, usually across more than one session

• A one-hour feedback meeting with parents to go through the findings before the report is finalized

• The written report, typically one to two weeks after testing is complete

• Attendance at a CSE or 504 meeting, by request, is included

Appointments can usually be scheduled within a few weeks. Sessions are not recorded. Office hours are 9:00 to 4:00, Monday through Friday.

How the report is used at school

Two routes exist. A 504 Plan provides accommodations — extended time, a separate testing location, assistive technology, reduced written output — for a student whose disability substantially limits a major life activity. An IEP provides specially designed instruction and related services, and requires classification under one of New York's disability categories. A private evaluation can support either, and part of the feedback meeting is spent on which route actually fits your child.

New York State regulations set the timelines once a district evaluation is requested: an initial individual evaluation must be completed within 60 days of the district receiving parental consent, and where a student is found eligible, the district must arrange programs and services within 60 school days of that consent.

Dr. Crispinelli spent more than ten years working inside New York public schools, and chaired both CSE and 504 committees. She has sat on the district side of these meetings, which is why the reports are written the way they are.

This is general information about how the process works in New York. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a special education attorney or advocate.

Getting here from Bedford

The office is at 100 South Bedford Road, Suite 340, Mount Kisco, NY 10549 — about ten minutes from Bedford Hills and Bedford Village. Testing is scheduled in longer blocks rather than many short visits.

Fees, payment and insurance

This is a private-pay practice. A superbill is provided so you can pursue out-of-network reimbursement with your insurer if your plan allows it; reimbursement is never guaranteed and depends entirely on your individual plan. The codes that typically appear on a superbill for this work are 90791, 96132, 96133, 96136 and 96137.

Payment is accepted by check, Zelle, or credit card (credit card payments carry a 3.5% processing fee). Half is due when testing begins, and the balance is due upon receipt of the final report.

Start with a call

A free 15-minute call is the place to begin — describe what you are seeing and ask whatever you want to ask. Request a call → or call 914-200-2512.