Pleasantville, NY — Evaluations for Children, Teens and Young Adults

Pleasantville sends its students into middle school a year earlier than most districts, and keeps them there for four years — which places the whole of that structure squarely over the period when executive functioning demands accelerate fastest. 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 Pleasantville at her office in Mount Kisco.

The Pleasantville Union Free School District

The district runs Bedford Road School for kindergarten through grade four, Pleasantville Middle School for grades five through eight, and Pleasantville High School.

A four-year middle school starting in fifth grade means a student takes on multiple teachers, long-range assignments and independent time management at ten rather than at eleven or twelve. For most children that works. For a child with an underlying difficulty in working memory, task initiation or processing speed, it arrives before they have the maturity to compensate — and the result is frequently read as laziness or disorganisation rather than as something identifiable.

What usually prompts the call

• A fifth or sixth grader whose work habits collapsed after the move to Pleasantville Middle

• Homework that takes two or three times longer than it should, consistently

• Reading that never became automatic during the Bedford Road years

• A persistent gap between what a child clearly understands and what they can produce

• Attention concerns in a student who is quiet, cooperative and quietly falling behind

• Social difficulties in a verbally capable child that have been read as shyness

• A high schooler needing current documentation for College Board or ACT accommodations

• 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 Pleasantville

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