Psychological evaluations, child therapy, & consultation services to 14 months and older children, adolescents, and adults.
Psychological evaluations, child therapy, & consultation services to 14 months and older children, adolescents, and adults.
Individual Therapy (CBT, DBT, Play, Somatic, A.R.T. for trauma)
Family Therapy
Psychological evaluation
Neurodevelopmental evaluation
Psychoeducational evaluation
Neurofeedback
Please reach out to us at info@mindworkpsych.com, if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Insurance is not accepted, although you may use a FSA or HSA card. We will provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company should you have OON benefits (but see the warning below about this). Cash, credit cards, debit cards, cashiers checks accepted. We can also take payment plans through PayPal Credit & CareCredit.
To answer whether the evaluation will provide a definitive yes or no regarding autism, the goal is to provide a clear, well-supported clinical determination based on multiple sources of information. This includes standardized testing, behavioral observations, developmental history, and input from parents, as well as ideally another rater such as a teacher. Teacher input is especially helpful when there are differences in how parents perceive the child, as it allows us to see how the child is functioning in a more typical peer setting. While no single test gives a standalone yes/no answer, the integration of all of this information allows for a high level of diagnostic confidence. Ultimately, the diagnosis is a clinical decision based on the full pattern of data, the child’s presentation, and whether criteria are met. If there is a clear discrepancy and say for example that I can see the symptoms but nobody else is reporting anything on standardized questionnaires, then we would defer the diagnosis. So sometimes this can result in “future diagnostic considerations” rather than a diagnosis if the data is unclear. We would diagnose whatever is clearly supported so sometimes that can rule out to consider for the future. Our goal is always to provide a balanced evidence-based understanding of your child. The evaluation helps clarify whether behaviors fall within a typical range of temperament or reflect a neurodevelopmental profile that may benefit from more targeted supports.
We will give you a flat fee for the evaluation after discussing your needs, it can range from $1995-$3995. We do require a deposit of around 30% to reserve the day for your testing, with the balance due on the date of testing. If you need to make payments, that is fine, we just do not begin to write up the results until the final payment is completed.
All psychological assessments have strengths and limitations. Standardized tools are objective and reliable, but they are not like blood tests . The thing to remember is that there is always some degree of clinical judgment involved. That said, when evaluations are conducted thoroughly and multiple sources of data align, they are generally very reliable in identifying patterns. False positives and false negatives are possible, and often we see autism missed or misdiagnosed as ODD by providers who do not understand what autism looks like. However, this is less likely when conclusions are supported by consistent findings across testing, observations, and history and you are using a psychologist very familiar with various presentations of autism. As we discussed, symptoms also need to be negatively impacting functioning in at least one area.It can be more complex when parents have differing perspectives, as the data may not fully align. In those cases, my clinical judgment plays a larger role, and additional input (such as from a teacher) becomes even more important.
Regarding whether results would be the same with a different evaluator, there sometimes can be some variability in interpretation, particularly depending on the clinician’s experience with autism. We often see it missed or misdiagnosed as ODD or severe ADHD or severe anxiety, and that never does the child any favors. However, well-conducted evaluations using standardized tools should generally lead to similar conclusions when the presentation is clear, and the raters are in general agreement about symptoms. It’s important to work with someone who has specific training in autism in order to give you as much of a an accurate yes or no answer as is possible. We are also happy to provide referrals or you are always welcome to seek a second opinion as people do in most medical situations.
We want to clarify that Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is not a separate diagnosis. It is considered a profile or presentation style within autism and would not be diagnosed independently, though it may be described in the report if relevant.
Please see the Contact Us page on our website. Here is some additional information you will need to be aware of:
We schedule appointments via email only, as our email system is our most reliable communication source. Emails allow our office team to access your requests and information in the future, should they need to reference it. NOTE: There will be many emails, and contact from our office, prior to the actual appointment date.
If you do not receive an email confirmation of the appointment (after we have scheduled you via our email conversation), please let us know so we can resend confirmation accordingly.
If you do not receive an invoice (which outlines the appointment deposit request as well), please let us know so we can resend the invoice accordingly.
If you do not receive the history form immediately after being scheduled, please let us know so we can resend the form accordingly (this form must be completed at least 72 hours prior to the appointment please).
Once your appointment has been scheduled, you will also receive an additional email with rating scale forms (these rating scales need to be completed at least 72 hours prior to the appointment). The email with the rating scale forms will be sent out a few weeks prior to the appointment (and not the same day as scheduling).
We work by appointment only, and we DO NOT take insurance.
Email us info@mindworkspsych.com
We schedule appointments via email only, as our email system is our most reliable communication source. Emails allow our office team to access your requests and information in the future, should they need to reference it.
310 South Dillard St. Suite 160 Winter Garden FL 34787
Mon | 09:00 am – 06:00 pm | |
Tue | 09:00 am – 06:00 pm | |
Wed | 09:00 am – 06:00 pm | |
Thu | 09:00 am – 06:00 pm | |
Fri | 09:00 am – 06:00 pm | |
Sat | 09:00 am – 02:30 pm | |
Sun | Closed |
