Section on Neuropsychology
Personnel: Faculty members are Cecile Naylor, Ph.D., and Jeffery B. Feldman, Ph.D.. Faculty members are licensed Practicing Psychologists under North Carolina state guidelines. Additional key clinical personnel include Deborah F. Hill.
Areas of Specialty for Children and Adults: The Section on Neuropsychology is composed of specialists in the study of brain based skills. The Section has a long-standing program of federally funded research into reading and attentional disorders with the National Institutes of Health. Specifically, they have been one of the major, federally funded dyslexia research sites for the last 15 years. The program is distinctive in that research knowledge serves as the basis for the in-depth clinical evaluations. Research has focused on dyslexia in particular, which is one of several distinct learning disabilities and is a specific language-based disorder which may affect early language development and later, acquisition of reading.
Assessment Services: Faculty and staff provide a wide range of assessment and treatment services for children, adolescents, and adults. Assessment services include neuropsychological evaluation which consists of a variety of tests given to measure brain based difficulties such as those associated with head injury, neurological disorder, or brain trauma.
Additionally, there is a heavy emphasis on assessment of learning disabilities. Specific evaluations for early reading skill development in children age 5 and up, including risk of dyslexia, are offered.
Treatment Services: Associated specialty treatment areas include cognitive remediation for a variety of disorders including memory, organizational, and attentional impairment. The Section also offers specialized consultation and treatment for reading disorders. Other supportive therapies including psychotherapy are also offered.
Finally, other specialized services include tutoring by a certified Wilson Reading System teacher for students of all ages with reading disabilities and language disorders. Tutoring sessions are generally one on one, although group sessions are occasionally available. Furthermore, the section teacher specializes in working with English Second Language students including assessment and remediation.
Professional Development Training: Given its strong history of research and clinical expertise, the Section of Neuropsychology offers professional development training for groups and institutions. This includes group training in reading assessment and reading intervention, such as that used in a school or teaching environment.
The Section personnel provide training to teachers in the assessment and remediation of learning disabilities of students who are limited English proficient (LEP) as well offering focused Spanish language training for teachers and other school personnel.
Individual section members regularly provide workshop and symposium lectures on topics such as dyslexia, learning disabilities, reading remediation, attentional disorders, forensic testimony, and ethics.
Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR): The Predictive Assessment of Reading is a test developed by Dr. Wood and his associates from NIH funded research. The test is a highly reliable instrument designed to measure reading skills in children K-3. The PAR can accurately determine if a child is at risk for reading disability and tests phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and word identification. There is a version developed for the Hispanic population. The PAR can be administered individually in our clinic and is also licensed for group use through the Office of Technology Asset Management at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. For further information, go to www.predictiveassessment.com or contact the Office of Technology Asset Management at 336-716-3729.