A neuropsychological evaluation maps how attention, memory, language and reasoning are actually working, so the plan that follows fits the person instead of the label.
I perform every evaluation myself, from your first phone call with me to the report we will go over together as a team. As a neuropsychologist in Tucson, I evaluate children ages 6 and up, teens and adults, in person or using telehealth technology.
Call me to schedule a free initial consultation, by phone.
Most people arrive with one of these 7 questions. Each one calls for a different set of measures, which is why the testing is designed after we talk, not before.
Is this attention, anxiety, sleep, a learning problem, or several at once? Attention complaints have many causes, and a checklist cannot tell them apart. Testing separates them so treatment targets the right one.
When a capable student works twice as hard for half the result, testing identifies where reading, writing or math breaks down, and documents what accommodations are warranted.
Normal aging, depression, medication effects and early neurodegenerative change look alike from the outside. Testing establishes a baseline and clarifies which pattern the results fit.
For children and adults with seizures, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular or neurodegenerative disorders, my evaluation measures how your real world thinking, feeling and behavior are impacted. I then design a plan to maximize your daily functioning and provide disability evaluations that can lead to financial benefits.
When medical or genetic conditions, such as Down’s syndrome, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, or fetal alcohol syndrome are present, my evaluation identifies how your mental functioning is impacted. I then design a custom plan to ensure you are at your best day to day.
For children and for adults who were never assessed, evaluation describes social communication, sensory response and thinking style in enough detail to be useful at school, at work and at home.
When a decision-making question is raised, an independent evaluation documents the cognitive abilities that bear on it. Dr. Brunner has testified in courts of law for over 20 years.
That is what the first call is for. Describe the situation and Dr. Brunner will tell you whether an evaluation is the right step, and which kind.
A diagnostic interview asks what you are experiencing. A neuropsychological evaluation measures how your brain handles specific work: holding information while using it, retrieving a word, sustaining effort, shifting strategy when the first one fails.
Those measurements produce a profile of strengths and weaknesses rather than a single label. Two people with the same diagnosis often have entirely different profiles, and that difference is what determines which treatment, accommodation or strategy will actually work.
Dr. Brunner uses only the measures that bear on your question, and no shallow personality typology tests. The result is a user-friendly “x-ray” you can read once and use.
Which of these are included depends on your referral question.
None of these is a diagnosis. Each is a reason to find out what is actually going on before another year passes.
A bright child whose grades do not match what you see at home
Reading or writing that stays effortful long after it should have clicked
A diagnosis that was given quickly and never explained the whole picture
Medication that helps somewhat, but not enough, and no plan beyond it
Memory lapses in yourself or a parent that are getting harder to explain away
A capable adult who has always struggled with organization, focus or follow-through
Accommodations needed for school, college testing or work, with documentation required
A previous evaluation whose report you could not understand or use
Saturday and Sunday appointments available
I walk you through every step. I will not hand you to a technician for testing or to an assistant for results.
A free phone consultation with me. You describe the situation and I tell you whether testing is the right step and what it would address.
History, records and, where useful, interviews with people who know you well. I map how the pieces connect before choosing a single measure.
Administered by me in person or, where the measures allow it, remotely. Only what your question requires, nothing added to fill a battery.
Results explained in plain language, with a written report built to be handed to a school, physician, attorney or employer.
This is a private-pay practice, which is what makes this depth of evaluation possible. Fees, payment methods and reimbursement questions are laid out in full on one page.
All three are offered here, and people often ask for the wrong one. The difference is the question being asked.
How brain-based abilities are functioning, and where they break down
What emotional, behavioral or personality factors are driving the difficulty
Why academic achievement is below what ability predicts
Attention, memory, autism, capacity or a diagnosis that has never added up
Mood, anger, anxiety or relationship patterns are the central concern
Reading, writing or math is the presenting problem, or accommodations are needed
A cognitive profile with recommendations tied to each finding
A formulation of what maintains the problem and what changes it
Documentation written for schools and testing boards
Many referral questions call for pieces of more than one. Because I handle the whole case, those pieces are combined into one evaluation rather than three appointments in three offices.
An evaluation that ends at the diagnosis leaves the work undone. Where testing shows a working memory or attention weakness, I offer COGMED, a structured training program that builds the capacity itself rather than masking the symptom.
Medication remains the right choice for many people, and this is not an argument against it. However, what many people forget is building skills that hold up after the prescription is filled.
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There is no charge for it.
This is a private-pay practice, which is what allows you to get the evaluation depth you need. Fees, accepted payment methods and how clients handle reimbursement are all listed on the Pricing & Payment Options page.
Children from age 6 upward, through teens, college students and adults of any age.
Yes. Clients are served nationwide, and consultation, history and feedback work well by video. Where a measure requires in-person administration, that is arranged. Out-of-town clients who prefer face-to-face work often come to Tucson for a series of days blocked off together.
No. I’m the only professional serving you from start to finish. I conduct the interview, administer the measures, interpret the test and explain the findings to you.
That is decided after you and I talk. My selection is driven by what your question requires, using only measures with strong evidence behind them, and I never use shallow personality typology tests. I’m a measurement expert who has first authored a measure adapted into 14 languages.
Often, yes. You should be prepared to tell me about the first evaluation during our first call together. I will say plainly whether it already answers your question, whether targeted testing would add something, or whether a full re-evaluation is warranted.
Yes. I customize reports to the exact audience using the report. For attorney-referred matters, I have a 20 year record of testifying in courts of law.
Saturday and Sunday appointments are available, which matters when school and work schedules are already full.
Tell me what is happening and I will tell you whether an evaluation is the right next step. If it is not, I will say so. The call is free either way.
Saturday & Sunday appointments · Nationwide telehealth
