Student and Training Director Hour Sites

• Fellowship

The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (www.appcn.org) and adheres to the Houston Conference standards and model for specialty training in clinical neuropsychology. The objective of the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology is to provide training in neuropsychological evaluation of children and adolescents with a wide range of medical conditions that impact the central nervous system. The fellowship is designed to provide trainees with the experience required for state licensure and to meet the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) certification eligibility requirements for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology as well as the ABPP Subspecialty Diploma in Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology.

The training emphasis is clinical, comprising most of the fellow’s time, with the remainder of time focused on didactic and research activities. The fellow will conduct approximately two evaluations per week supervised by rotating faculty. Evaluations are completed with a wide range of patient populations including, but not limited to, epilepsy, cancer, hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis, acquired brain injury (e.g., stroke, TBI, etc.), solid organ transplant, neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism, spina bifida, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.), and genetic syndromes. The majority of clinical experiences are provided in outpatient settings, with inpatient evaluation experiences available as well. There are two primary tracks for which the fellows will designate upon ranking that vary in site location, supervisors, and patient population focus. Both tracks at Children’s offer a unique training opportunity in the neuropsychological assessment of bilingual (Spanish-English) pediatric patients for bilingual and monolingual fellows.

Track 1 – Pediatric Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8521): In addition to two weekly outpatient cases focused primarily on neurologically-relevant medical populations, the fellow will provide consultative services in the Children’s Neuro-Oncology and Neurofibromatosis clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multi-disciplinary programs dedicated to concussion, epilepsy surgery, cardiology, demyelinating disorders, rehabilitation, and functional neurological disorders.

Track 2 – Developmental Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8523): The fellow will conduct 2 weekly outpatient evaluations – one with a neurologically-relevant medical population and the other in a multidisciplinary autism program. The fellow will provide consultative services in 22Q Deletion Syndrome, Down Syndrome, and Complex Care Medical Services clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multidisciplinary programs dedicated to foster care, adolescent medicine, and child abuse.

Educational training experiences include weekly neuropsychology didactics (e.g., Neuropsychology Seminar and 2-year ABPP/ABCN Written Exam preparation course) as well as weekly seminars focused on professional development, group supervision, and didactics on various topics offered through the broader Children’s Postdoctoral Program in Child Clinical Psychology. Supplemental didactic opportunities are also offered across Children’s and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (e.g., brain cutting). Additionally, fellows will participate in a research and/or program development project, with opportunities to develop original projects or participate in ongoing projects with faculty members.