Sigma Psychology Pediatric services
Sigma Psychology’s pediatric focus is to assist children and parents to understand difficulties with attention, behavioral problems and learning difficulties so that families can focus on a solution rather than continue to struggle to pinpoint why children are having difficulties in the home and in school. Difficulties with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, previously also called ADD), Learning Disability (LD), as well as emotional adjustment issues often have a similar presentation or can happen all at the same time (termed comorbid). It is often difficult to understand if your child has a problem with attention or if your child is really having difficulty with an academic subject so they are avoiding paying attention (e.g. learning disability). Similarly, it is often difficult to sort out whether your child is having difficulty with adjusting to life’s changes with recent stressors or social difficulties in school causing them to feel anxious and not pay attention or if your child truly has an attention difficulty, such as ADHD.
Our goal is to help families sort out the potential causes of your child’s difficulty to direct attention at the right target, as treatment may be very different depending on the cause of your child’s difficulties. If the problem is due to a learning disability then focused tutoring and one-on-one instruction may help the problem; however, if the same behavior is being caused by anxiety or depression then skill-oriented psychotherapy may be needed. One of the most difficult problems for parents to solve is often that we know that our child is struggling or may be having problems with behavioral issues, but that does not tell us what is causing the problem and the treatment may be quite different depending on the cause.
We use a large battery of tests (neuropsychological testing) to help families sort out what the underlying problem your child is presenting with may be. Our testing includes measures of general intellectual functioning, academic achievement measures, mental speed, attention, assessment of problem-solving skills, as well as memory to assist with understanding your child’s cognitive abilities. We then assess your child’s behaviors and emotional concerns through observation and interview with the parent(s) and child, as well as objective assessment with measures administered to your child, parents and teachers. Our goal is to help families with not only understanding, but also develop treatment goals that are focused on your child’s difficulties rather than attempting multiple treatments that may be frustrating and lead to less than desired outcome.
After the assessment process a report is generated with diagnoses that are appropriate is generated, but in many ways more importantly, the results are discussed with parents and treatment options are explored. We seek to assist with understanding your child’s difficulties. We seek to complete and offer reports and feedback in a timely manner and feedback will be scheduled with the family at the time that the assessment is completed.
Dr. Schutte, Ph.D. ABPP-CN
Dr. Schutte is a Board-Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist (ABPP-CN; https://abpp.org) whom sees individuals for neuropsychological evaluation ranging from 6-years-old to end of life. Dr. Schutte is currently the manager of neuropsychology at a large local hospital system and also has private practices in Southfield, Michigan (www.compneuropsych.com) and Belleville, Michigan. The goal of assessment at Sigma Psychology is evaluation of children with concerns focused on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disability as well as psychological concerns; however, Dr. Schutte also has a specialization is traumatic brain injury, and completes evaluations across the age span with diagnoses such as dementia or other neurodegenerative difficulties. The goal at Sigma Psychology is to offer parents and families a thorough evaluation with good communication and feedback during the process to assist families with understanding what are often very difficult behaviors and explore a path forward to assisting your child.
Fees and Payment
Sigma Psychology’s pediatric service is a pay for service practice. The price for a neuropsychological evaluation is a flat fee of $2000.00, which is payable at the time of service. We accept multiple common forms of credit card payment for your convenience. In special cases in which there is an extended evaluation process, such as in traumatic brain injury where there may be a large amount of records to review, the flat fee may be adjusted, but that will be discussed and agreed to ahead of the evaluation being completed. We will be happy to complete paperwork for you to submit to your insurance company so that you can seek reimbursement from them.
Office location
Sigma Psychology is located at 900 Victors Way ste. 175 Ann Arbor, Michigan and we 20700 Civic Center Dr. ste. 327, Southfield, MI 48076. Both locations are easy to find near the highway and offer local places to eat and free parking.
Contact
Phone: (734) 735-6788
Fax: (734) 325-2326