A Neurodevelopmental Evaluation is a specialized, functional diagnostic assessment designed to understand how your child learns, communicates, processes information, and interacts with the world around them.

Rather than focusing on underlying brain injuries or psychiatric conditions, a neurodevelopmental evaluation measures your child’s practical growth and developmental profile. By using gold-standard psychometric and observational testing tools, we look closely at key developmental building blocks:

• Speech & Spoken Language: Receptive/expressive language, articulation, and social-pragmatic communication.

• Literacy & Symbolic Processing: Dyslexia, reading decoding, phonological awareness, and written expression.

• Nonverbal & Cognitive Processing: Visual-spatial reasoning, nonverbal intelligence, and working memory.

• Neurodiverse Learning Patterns: Diagnostic indicators for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).

• Sensory, Motor & Adaptive Functioning: Feeding/swallowing development, fine/gross motor integration, and everyday independent living skills.

The primary goal of a neurodevelopmental evaluation is to give families, primary care physicians (PCPs), and school teams clear, actionable diagnostic answers in weeks—not months or years—so your child can access targeted therapies (Speech, OT, PT, ABA) and educational supports (IEPs or 504 plans) without delay.

Choosing the right assessment comes down to the primary questions you need answered and your child’s medical history.

• Your main concerns involve developmental milestones or learning differences: You suspect Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, speech/language delays, auditory processing issues, or nonverbal learning bottlenecks.

• You need immediate diagnostic clarity: You want to avoid long regional waitlists (often 12–18 months) to establish a plan of care and access therapy or school accommodations quickly.

• Your child needs a functional care roadmap: You need clear testing data that your Primary Care Physician (PCP) can use to finalize eligibility, or that therapists (Speech, OT, PT, Dietitians) can use to begin targeted treatment.

• Your child has no history of brain injury or psychiatric crisis: The concerns are developmental, educational, or communicative, rather than stemming from physical trauma or complex mental health disorders.

• There is a known neurological condition or physical brain injury: Your child has a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion, stroke, brain tumor, severe seizure disorder, or in-utero substance exposure.

• Primary concerns involve complex psychiatric or mood disorders: You need differential diagnostic mapping for primary conditions like severe childhood trauma/PTSD, bipolar disorder, psychosis, or complex personality dynamics.

• A hospital or legal entity specifically requires a full neuropsychological battery: Certain complex medical or medico-legal cases specifically mandate broad psychiatric and neurological mapping.

1. Comprehensive Evaluation: Sara Pofahl, MS, CCC-SLP (Psychometrist in training), conducts gold-standard, multi-system testing to establish baseline metrics, diagnosis codes (ICD-10), and medical necessity.

2. Physician & Payer Approval: We furnish your Primary Care Physician (PCP), Health First Colorado (Medicaid), or commercial insurance with the comprehensive report required to authorize treatment.

3. Seamless Community Transition: We partner directly with regional speech, occupational, physical, behavioral therapy and dietary providers to place your family with the right treating specialist.