Evaluations for Chappaqua, NY — ADHD, Learning and Executive Functioning

In Chappaqua, the hardest cases to see are the ones doing fine on paper. A student holding a respectable average while working two or three times harder than their classmates is not obviously in difficulty — until the effort stops being sustainable. 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 Chappaqua at her office in Mount Kisco.

The Chappaqua Central School District structure

Chappaqua runs three elementary schools for kindergarten through grade four — Douglas Grafflin, Roaring Brook and Westorchard — then two middle schools covering grades five through eight, Robert E. Bell and Seven Bridges, and Horace Greeley High School for grades nine through twelve.

The four-year middle school is unusual, and useful to think about. It means a student spends a long stretch in one building during precisely the years when executive functioning demands accelerate: multiple teachers, long-range assignments, and the expectation that a child manages their own time. Difficulties with organisation, working memory and task initiation tend to surface somewhere in those four years, and they are frequently mistaken for a motivation problem.

What usually prompts the call

• A capable student whose output does not match what they plainly understand

• Homework taking far longer than it should, night after night, for years

• A drop in performance somewhere in the Bell or Seven Bridges years, with no obvious cause

• Attention difficulties that are missed because the student is quiet, compliant and getting by

• Anxiety that may be driving the academic difficulty or may be a consequence of it

• A Greeley junior or senior who needs current documentation for extended time on College Board or ACT testing

• A young adult whose first year of college revealed what the structure at home had been covering

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 Chappaqua

The office is at 100 South Bedford Road, Suite 340, Mount Kisco, NY 10549 — roughly 15 minutes north of Chappaqua. 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 — a conversation about what you are seeing, not a booked appointment. Request a call → or call 914-200-2512.