Why North Texas Neuropsychology?

Every child is unique. The evaluation process — and especially the evaluation report, which may be read by therapists, teachers, and other professionals working with your child — should reflect that. You won't find cookie-cutter recommendations here. You'll find an evaluation process that is individualized to your child, and a report that helps explain who your child is as a whole, unique person.

Dr. Holland started her career path with an undergraduate degree from the #1 Psychology Department in the nation at Stanford University. She learned the art of child behavioral observation at the famous Stanford Bing Nursery School (site of the marshmallow experiments) and conducted brain imaging research on math anxiety at Stanford Medical School. Dr. Holland graduated from Stanford with a degree concentration in Neuroscience. She then completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. After then completing her fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Children's Health, she was asked to remain on as faculty. Dr. Holland was employed at Children's Health for over a decade while serving as Lead Neuropsychologist for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Research Director for the Children's Health Neuropsychology Service, and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at UT Southwestern. Dr. Holland has won numerous awards for her research and continues to lead an active research lab.

Neuropsychological testing is a highly interactive process in which the examiner plays a key role. Having a highly experienced examiner is important for more than just accurate test administration. With over a decade of experience and training at the highest level, Dr. Holland is constantly observing not just the patient's responses during testing but also how they're interacting with and approaching test questions. It is these subtle clinical observations that facilitate the most complete understanding of a person's brain functioning. At North Texas Neuropsychology, evaluation results come from much more than just test scores.

Many providers offer "targeted" evaluations to test for a specific diagnosis. Such evaluations can contribute to overdiagnosis because only one possible explanation is considered for the data collected, whereas a more thorough evaluation may reveal additional data that point to another explanation altogether. For example, children can have attention problems due to an attention disorder OR due to depression, anxiety, processing deficits, language delays, etc... and an evaluation that only considers one of those numerous possibilities can easily lead to an incorrect diagnosis and ineffective interventions. Dr. Holland only conducts comprehensive evaluations because this is the only way to guarantee a fully accurate understanding of your child's brain functioning.

Many providers have shorter wait times because they see large numbers of patients each week, with multiple testing slots per day. Dr. Holland prioritizes quality over quantity. She accepts a limited number of referrals in order to ensure that each patient can have the full time and attention they deserve. Instead of being crammed in for multiple brief testing sessions between other patients, your child will have a full day — and longer if necessary — to work at a pace that suits them, with ample opportunities for breaks. When given the choice, no patient of Dr. Holland's has ever opted to pause testing and return another day. Being able to complete testing in a single day is preferred by almost all children. This also helps the clinician develop a clearer conceptualization of the patient, without having to try to remember which of several children your child was that day.

Dr. Holland's absolute, top priority is her patients. To that end, Dr. Holland asks that all patients and parents come into her evaluation process with an open mind. Dr. Holland is committed to thorough, honest evaluations that promote insight and understanding. That means that sometimes, you might hear things you don't want to hear in terms of the testing results. At the same time, Dr. Holland is firmly committed to supporting her patients and their families beyond their evaluation appointments. You will not be alone in navigating the road ahead.