Neurodevelopmental assessment can help you visualize your child's mind to optimize development and improve relationships.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

Pictures are vital forms of communication for many children who are coping with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

A Dragonfly Mind's Logo tells the story.

What do you notice about the dragonfly in the Logo?

Think about the body as being the part of the brain that divides the brain into two halves: a right and a left hemisphere. Is one side more dominant than the other?

Imagine each wing representing a different part of the brain (left frontal lobe, right parietal lobe) and the functions associated with those domains (e.g., working memory v. sensory reactivity). Imagine the size of each wing reflecting how much activity or "neural real estate" the person has in that area of their brain. Might this represent a mind where the visual system is very dominant but the language system is very weak?

Notice how some wings (or parts of the brain) are connected to the core but others are not. This reflects the degree to which the different parts of the brain are integrated or working together (synchrony v. asynchrony). Might this represent a brain where it is hard to connect language to what one sees or feels?

Did you see the shadow? This might be the first thing that some children with autism see, as they miss the forest for the trees and move about the image in a piecemeal fashion. Soft shadows can also represent those individuals who have some features of autism, but do not meet all criteria.  A shadow also represents how we all have a personal history that we carry with us that affects our effectiveness. It is important to have a practitioner who can address that "shadow" while also tending to the more direct forms of intervention that help your child.

Most importantly, this dragonfly is TAKING FLIGHT. With the right intervention, children can move up the developmental ladder, no matter where they start.