Neuropsychological Evaluations for Children & Teens in Manhasset


Comprehensive private evaluations for:

  • ADHD and executive functioning

  • dyslexia and learning differences

  • processing speed and academic inefficiency

  • anxiety impacting school performance

  • diagnostic clarification and accommodations

Dr. Courtney Duhning, Psy.D., ABSNP, NCSP

Board-Certified Neuropsychologist

Learning Disability Evaluations for Long Island and Queens | Dyslexia | Dysgraphia | Dyscalculia

Serving families in Manhasset and surrounding North Shore communities

Bright students do not always look like they are struggling.

In communities like Manhasset, many children maintain good grades while quietly struggling with:

  • ADHD and executive functioning difficulties

  • Anxiety and perfectionism

  • Dyslexia and learning differences

  • Emotional overwhelm and burnout

  • Homework taking hours each night

  • Increasing academic pressure

Many students compensate through:

  • late-night studying

  • parental support

  • perfectionism

  • working significantly harder than peers

At Duhning Psychological Services, Dr. Courtney Duhning, Psy.D., ABNSP, NCSP provides comprehensive private-pay neuropsychological evaluations for children, teens, and young adults across the North Shore of Long Island and nearby Queens communities.

The practice specializes in:

What Families Often Say Before Reaching Out

  • “My child is smart, but homework takes hours.”

  • “The school says everything looks average, but you know something is off.”

  • “She’s anxious all the time about school.”

  • “He’s exhausted from trying to keep up.”

  • “We don’t know if this is ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning, or burnout.”

  • “Something isn’t clicking, but we haven’t gotten answers.”

  • “The grades look okay, but the amount of effort is not sustainable.”

Many families in Manhasset or surrounding areas come in after months or years of uncertainty.


Many children with learning differences work incredibly hard to appear “fine” at school. Concerns are often missed because they are bright and compensating.

Signs Your Child May Benefit From a Neuropsychological Evaluation

  • Homework taking excessive time

  • Difficulty with attention or organization

  • Increasing anxiety or perfectionism

  • Emotional overwhelm related to school

  • Writing that does not match verbal abilities

  • Burnout or school avoidance

  • Difficulty starting or completing work independently

  • Concerns about ADHD, dyslexia, or executive functioning

  • Questions regarding accommodations or standardized testing support

“The School Says Everything Looks Fine”

One of the most common reasons families seek private neuropsychological evaluations is because they feel something is being missed.

Many bright students do not “look impaired enough” in school data despite significant struggles with:

Parents often know their child is:

  • working twice as hard as peers

  • relying heavily on parental support

  • becoming increasingly anxious or overwhelmed

  • struggling to manage growing academic demands


A comprehensive private evaluation provides a more detailed understanding of how a child learns, processes information, manages demands, and functions emotionally across settings.

What a Comprehensive Evaluation Can Help Clarify

Evaluations may help identify:

  • ADHD and executive functioning difficulties

  • Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and learning disorders

  • Anxiety and perfectionism

  • Processing speed and fluency weaknesses

  • Attention and working memory difficulties

  • Emotional factors impacting school performance

  • Overlap between anxiety, ADHD, and learning challenges

Evaluations may also support:

  • School accommodations

  • Executive functioning interventions

  • Standardized testing accommodations

  • Academic planning and educational decision-making

Areas of learning difficulty Dr. Duhning commonly evaluates

Dyslexia (Reading Disorder)

  • Difficulty reading fluently

  • Slow or inaccurate decoding

  • Poor reading comprehension despite effort

Dysgraphia (Writing Disorder)

  • Illegible or inconsistent handwriting

  • Difficulty organizing writing

  • Fatigue or frustration with writing

Dyscalculia (Math Disorder)

  • Poor number sense

  • Trouble memorizing math facts

  • Challenges with multi-step problem solving

Many children present with overlapping learning profiles, which is why comprehensive testing is essential.

Why Families Choose Private-Pay Evaluations

Families are often looking for:

  • A highly individualized evaluation process

  • Nuanced understanding of complex concerns

  • Faster access to services and results

  • Clear, actionable recommendations

  • Guidance regarding school support and accommodations

  • Expertise in both learning and emotional functioning

This is not a brief screening or checklist-based evaluation.

The process is:

  • comprehensive

  • collaborative

  • individualized

  • focused on practical recommendations and meaningful clarity

Reports and recommendations are typically completed within approximately 4 weeks of testing.

What You Receive After the Evaluation

Families receive a detailed, integrated report that includes:

  • Clear diagnostic findings (if applicable)

  • Explanation of your child’s learning profile

  • Specific, individualized recommendations

  • School-based support strategies (IEP/504 guidance)

  • Home strategies to reduce frustration and support learning

A visual summary of scores and parent feedback session are included to ensure results are fully understood and actionable.

About Dr. Courtney Duhning

Dr. Courtney Duhning specializes in the evaluation of learning differences, executive functioning concerns, and complex academic profiles in children and adolescents.

Her approach is thoughtful, individualized, and focused on helping families gain meaningful clarity—not simply test results.

If something doesn’t fully add up, it’s worth understanding why.

Serving Families Across the North Shore & Queens

Duhning Psychological Services is located in Manhasset and serves families throughout:

  • Great Neck

  • Port Washington

  • Roslyn

  • Garden City

  • Syosset

  • Jericho

  • Huntington

  • Dix Hills

  • Bayside

  • Douglaston

  • Little Neck

Many families travel specifically for comprehensive private-pay evaluations focused on ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, learning disorders, and diagnostic clarification.

 

Summer Evaluations & Planning Ahead

Summer is often an ideal time to complete testing before academic demands increase again in the fall.

Families frequently seek evaluations during late spring and summer to:

  • better understand ongoing concerns

  • support accommodations planning

  • reduce stress before the next school year

  • address emotional or executive functioning difficulties before they escalate further

Summer and early fall appointments are often requested quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. Many bright students compensate for attention or executive functioning difficulties through increased effort, perfectionism, parental support, or spending significantly more time on schoolwork than peers. Good grades do not always reflect how difficult it may be for a child to manage academic demands behind the scenes.

  • Homework taking excessive time can be related to ADHD, executive functioning difficulties, anxiety, perfectionism, processing speed weaknesses, learning differences, or emotional overwhelm. Many high-achieving students work much harder than peers simply to maintain performance.

  • We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.

  • School evaluations are generally designed to determine eligibility for educational services. A private neuropsychological evaluation provides a more comprehensive understanding of how a child learns, processes information, manages academic demands, and functions emotionally across settings. Learn more about school vs private evaluations.

  • Families often seek evaluations when a child appears capable but continues to struggle with reading, writing, math, attention, homework completion, emotional overwhelm, or inconsistent performance despite strong effort and support. Parents often also seek Dr. Duhning when they do not agree with CSE evaluations.

  • Yes. Evaluations may include recommendations related to school accommodations, executive functioning support, classroom interventions, and standardized testing accommodations when clinically appropriate.

  • Families often seek evaluations when concerns persist over time despite maturity, tutoring, increased effort, or strong intelligence. Difficulties related to attention, executive functioning, anxiety, learning, or emotional regulation frequently become more noticeable as academic demands increase in middle school, high school, and beyond.