My child completed neuropsych testing. Do we need a child psychiatrist?
Yes, I recommend you see a Child Psychiatrist after your neuropsychological testing
You've just received your child's neuropsychological evaluation results. The testing took hours across multiple days, and now you're holding a comprehensive 15-20 page report filled with test scores, diagnoses, and recommendations. You understand your child's learning profile better—but now what?
Many parents stop here, armed with their neuropsych report but uncertain about next steps. While the evaluation identifies what's happening with your child's brain and learning, it's a psychiatrist who can translate those findings into actual treatment that changes your child's daily life.
What Neuropsych Testing Does (and Doesn't Do)
Neuropsychological evaluations are diagnostic gold mines. They identify ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, executive function deficits, and processing challenges through hours of standardized testing. The evaluation measures intellectual ability, memory, attention, language, visual-spatial skills, and emotional functioning—creating a detailed cognitive profile of your child's strengths and weaknesses.
Here's what's critical to understand: neuropsych testing doesn't treat anything. It's a snapshot, a roadmap, a diagnosis—but not a solution. The report will recommend interventions like "medication evaluation," "executive function coaching," or "504 plan"—but implementing these recommendations requires specialists who can actually deliver treatment.
The Gap Between Diagnosis and Treatment
Neuropsychologists typically provide recommendations that may include medication, psychotherapy, coordination with schools, and special programs — but neuropsychologists themselves don't prescribe medication or provide ongoing psychiatric treatment. They diagnose and recommend; psychiatrists treat and manage.
This creates a dangerous gap. Parents receive diagnoses — ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning disorders — without immediate access to the medical professionals who can address them. Meanwhile, children continue struggling in school, relationships suffer, and families remain in crisis mode while waiting for psychiatric appointments that can take months to secure.
Concierge Psychiatry helps your child thrive
What a Child Psychiatrist Does That Neuropsych Testing Can't
Medication Management for Diagnosed Conditions
If your neuropsych evaluation identified ADHD, your child likely would benefit from medication evaluation. ADHD doesn't respond to tutoring or accommodations alone. It's a neurobiological condition requiring medical treatment.
A child psychiatrist can:
Prescribe and adjust ADHD medications based on your child's specific presentation
Monitor for side effects and optimize dosing
Distinguish between ADHD symptoms and co-occurring anxiety or depression
Adjust treatment as your child grows and needs change
Treating Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions
Your neuropsych report probably didn't stop at one diagnosis. Most children with ADHD have co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, or mood dysregulation. Learning disabilities themselves create secondary anxiety and low self-esteem.
Neuropsych testing identifies these conditions, but treating them requires ongoing psychiatric care. A psychiatrist can address the emotional fallout of learning struggles—the anxiety about school, the depression from feeling "stupid," the behavioral problems masking deeper distress.
Comprehensive Medical Oversight
Psychiatrists provide medical oversight that considers the whole child. They understand how medications interact, how physical health impacts mental health, and how to coordinate care with pediatricians, therapists, and schools. This is particularly crucial when children need multiple medications or have complex presentations.
Interpreting Results in Real-World Context
Your neuropsych report contains scores, percentiles, and clinical terms. A child psychiatrist translates these findings into actionable treatment plans. They explain what an executive function deficit means for homework completion, how processing speed impacts classroom performance, and which interventions will actually help in daily life.
The School Piece Requires Medical Backup
Your neuropsych report will likely recommend a 504 plan or IEP. These require medical documentation and often physician letters supporting specific accommodations. While neuropsychologists provide the initial evaluation, ongoing psychiatric care strengthens your position with schools.
Schools take physician recommendations seriously. When a psychiatrist—not just a psychologist—advocates for extended time, preferential seating, or reduced homework, schools listen. Psychiatrists can document medical necessity, monitor whether accommodations are working, and adjust recommendations based on your child's response to treatment.
Treatment Isn't Static—It Requires Monitoring
Here's what parents don't realize: ADHD medication needs adjustment. Anxiety worsens with academic pressure. Executive function deficits evolve as demands increase. Your child's needs change as they grow, and neuropsych reports become outdated within years.
Ongoing psychiatric care provides the monitoring and adjustment that single evaluations can't. Psychiatrists track whether interventions work, modify treatment when they don't, and catch emerging problems before they become crises. This ongoing relationship is the difference between managing a condition and merely diagnosing it.
When Medication Alone Isn't Enough
Sometimes neuropsych testing reveals that problems are more complex than ADHD alone. Your child may have learning disabilities requiring specialized tutoring, sensory processing issues needing occupational therapy, or social challenges requiring social skills groups.
Child psychiatrists coordinate this care, working with educational specialists, therapists, and other professionals to create comprehensive treatment plans. They're the medical quarterback ensuring all interventions work together rather than creating conflicting strategies.
The Bottom Line: Don't Stop at Testing
Neuropsych testing is an essential first step—but it's only a first step. The evaluation tells you what's wrong; a child psychiatrist tells you what to do about it. Without psychiatric follow-up, you're left with an expensive diagnosis and no treatment plan.
If your child's neuropsych evaluation identified ADHD, anxiety, depression, or other conditions requiring medical treatment, schedule a psychiatric evaluation. Don't wait months while your child continues struggling. The sooner treatment begins, the sooner your child can access the cognitive abilities that testing showed are actually there—just blocked by treatable conditions.
Your neuropsych report is a roadmap. A child psychiatrist is your guide to actually getting where you need to go.
