#53 Evaluation of Children for Learning and Autism Spectrum Disorders with Rebecca Parrish Snowdon, PhD

Recorded Saturday, February 20, 2021. Our guest today is Becca Parrish Snowdon, a psychologist who specializes in evaluating children to determine if they would benefit from additional services at school.

Becca earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Development from Duke University, then worked in a private school for children with special needs. She went on to earn her master’s degree in School Psychology from Northeastern University and her PhD in School and Counseling Psychology.

During graduate school, she focused on positive behavior supports for students and the assessment of children ages 3–21, completing an internship at South Shore Mental Health and a therapeutic collaborative day school, where she conducted psychological and school placement assessments and provided outpatient therapy. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Mass General Hospital, specializing in neuropsychology and services for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Becca is currently a school psychologist in the Newton Public Schools, specializing in early childhood and autism spectrum disorders, providing assessment, consultation and therapeutic service for children and families. She lives in Central Massachusetts with her husband, 4.5 year old daughter, 2 year old son and 5 year old dog.

In this episode, we discuss what an evaluation is, why and when it’s done, and who conducts them. We also cover integrative schools, creative playdates, the pandemic’s impact on children, and strategies parents can use to support both their kids and themselves.

We highlight Early Intervention services and how beneficial they are for families. In Massachusetts, you can learn more about Early Intervention here: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/early-intervention-division