What is neurodiversity?

There are many natural variations in the ways that people experience, interact with, and understand the world. Neurodiversity is a term that acknowledges and affirms those differences as part of human diversity, to be understood and respected rather than pathologized. As a neurodiversity-affirming practice, Understanding Minds helps clients understand their own unique ways of encountering and interacting with the world in order to live, learn, and work at their best.

What is assessment?

Assessment - whether psychological, neuropsychological, or psychoeducational in nature - is a process through which a person may come to understand more about their unique brain, and the way it functions in the world.  Methods of assessment may include interviews, questionnaires, standardized tests, and performance-based measures. By integrating data from across these sources, a conceptualization of strengths, differences, and characteristics can be formulated, diagnostic classification can be made (if indicated), and recommendations for next steps can be developed.

Why pursue an evaluation?

An abundance of succulents with a variety of shapes, textures, and colors fill the image. The imagery serves as a visual analogy for neurodiversity, which is affirmed and celebrated at Understanding Minds (Cary, NC).

People seek out assessment for a variety of reasons.  At Understanding Minds, Dr. Backe works with young people from school age to early adulthood and their families as they navigate challenges and/or questions associated with development, education, mental health, and neurodivergence.  Referral questions that are a good fit for assessment include:

  • My child has so many wonderful qualities, but they are hard on themselves and their grades are slipping.  What can I do to help?

  • Parenting lately has been tough.  Is this one of the typical challenges of child development, or is something more going on?

  • What are the unique strengths and weaknesses of my child’s profile? We are homeschooling and I want to tailor my educational decisions to meet their needs.

  • I’ve tried therapy in the past, but it didn’t work. Why? What could help in moving forward?

  • My child has been really struggling lately and we can’t figure out what is going on.  What should we do?

  • One of my clients had been making gains in treatment, but hit a plateau. Are there other factors at play that might be helpful to consider?

  • Is my daughter autistic? Do I have ADHD?

  • How could a neurodiversity framework help my child better understand themselves and build a positive self-concept?