Overview 

School neuropsychology is a specialized field that combines principles of neuropsychology with education to understand and address the learning and behavioral challenges of students. It involves the evaluation and assessment of a child’s cognitive and academic skills, as well as the identification of underlying neurological or developmental issues that may be impacting their performance. The School Neuropsychology Post-Graduate Certification Program was developed in 2002 by Daniel C. Miller, PhD, ABPP, ABSNP, to provide this important instruction to practitioners. Since 2002, the program has trained over 2,000 Diplomates in School Neuropsychology across the U.S. and internationally.

Program Format

The program runs from August to June and includes live lectures, supervised experience, completion of case studies, assigned readings, pre-recorded lectures and assessment training, and exams. All lectures and clinical supervision will be delivered in virtual format using interactive live lectures, and group and individual supervision using video meetings. Students must have access to internet speed and connectivity that allows for clear audio and video capability. Virtual format advantages include:

• Lectures from nationally recognized school neuropsychology experts and faculty members who practice and teach in a variety of settings.
• Live lectures are recorded and students in the course will be able to review the lectures during their program year.
• Clinical supervision by specialists in school neuropsychology and supervision group experience with psychologists in a variety of locations and settings.
• The elimination of travel requirements promotes accessibility, diverse student cohorts, and reduces overall program costs.
• We are excited to continue to offer a supervision cohort focused on bilingual (Spanish) pediatric neuropsychological assessment. The core instruction of the program will be offered only in English but the supervisor for this cohort is an expert in bilingual Spanish assessment and the reports for this cohort may be written in Spanish or English.

In addition to completion of case studies, assigned readings, pre-recorded lectures and assessment training, individual supervision, and studying for exams, live lecture sessions and group supervision meetings are held one weekend a month from September to May and follow this schedule:

Applicants must complete an initial online application which includes information about their current licensure/certification, highest graduate degree, years of assessment experience, and approximate number of evaluations completed in the previous year.

Applicants will also be required to list assessments with which they are proficient, a goal statement documenting the reasons for taking the training program, and a recent copy of the applicant's resume or curriculum vitae. There is a non-refundable $50 application fee. The application will be reviewed by program administrators. If the applicant is accepted into the program, they will receive an email with additional program information and instructions for paying the $500 deposit (if prior to August 1st) or paying the full course fee (if after August 1st) to reserve a spot in the program.

Course Requirements

The Post-Graduate School Neuropsychology Certification Program is a competency-based training program. The program provides a total of 100 hours of direct instruction and an additional 100 hours of group supervision (200 CE hours). Participants must complete all course requirements to obtain CE hours; partial CE credit is not provided.

Course Benefits

Several factors make this level of training valuable to practitioners:

• In recent years, many of the commonly used assessment techniques have adopted a neuropsychological perspective and a more complete understanding of neuropsychological processes increases competency.
• IDEA reauthorization has allowed states to use a process-oriented model of assessment for LD eligibility which corresponds to integration of neuropsychological theory within the eligibility process.
• School psychologists and psychologists are working with a growing number of children with known or suspected neurological conditions and it is important to continue to learn new skills to assess and intervene with students who have complex needs.

School Neuropsychology Institute (SNI) is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists to offer continuing education for school psychologists. SNI maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. School Neuropsychology Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. SNI maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. School Neuropsychology Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0106. Continuing education units earned from this program are accepted by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for LEPs.

District/Agency Support

Completion of the Post-Graduate School Neuropsychology Certification Program by a practitioner will directly benefit school districts and agencies.

Many school districts and agencies have encouraged their staff members to take this training because they have found that school neuropsychological evaluations conducted by graduates of the program are thorough and defensible in due process hearings. Reduction of litigation time translates to significant cost savings.

Contracting for private evaluations is expensive and may not yield results that directly translate into educational interventions. The cost of this course is equal to or less than the cost of two private, comprehensive evaluations. Graduates of this certification program will be able to conduct school neuropsychological evaluations within the scope of their professional practices as defined by state certification and licensing agencies.

The broad knowledge obtained in this program provides the practitioners with the skill set to effectively understand, assess, and develop targeted interventions for children with complex needs and resistance to progress despite intervention. More comprehensive evaluations are often needed in the following situations:

• Prior to returning to school after a recent head injury or neurological insult
• Monitoring the effects of sports-related concussions
• A documented rapid drop in academic achievement that cannot be explained by social-emotional or environmental causes
• Limited response to repeated evidence-based interventions
• Suspected processing weaknesses
• Significant scatter in psychoeducational test performance
• High incidence neurodevelopmental disorders
• Past or recent head injuries with academic or behavioral difficulties
• A history of acquired or congenital brain damage
• Brain tumors
• Neuromuscular diseases
• Central nervous system infection or compromise
• Neurodevelopmental risk factors
• Chromosomal abnormalities