Elena Ostroy, Ph.D., ABN

02/25/2026

Students with learning, psychological, or developmental differences can perform at their best when testing conditions are fair. Our latest blog explains how neuropsychological evaluations document the need for accommodations on high-stakes exams like the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT — and what that process looks like. Read more: https://wix.to/XlYNpSt

Students with learning, psychological, or developmental differences often have the ability to succeed on standardized tests—but the standard testing format may not accurately reflect their true skills. Testing accommodations exist to create a level playing field. As a neuropsychologist, one of my ...

09/24/2025

Some very positive medical news for a change

Huntington’s disease, a devastating degenerative illness that runs in families, has been treated successfully for the first time in a breakthrough gene therapy trial

09/23/2025

APA Statement on White House Announcement on Autism https://ow.ly/P6k850X0zCi

09/16/2025

🌟 Choosing the right neuropsychologist is crucial for accurate assessment and care. Dr. Elena Ostroy shares valuable tips to help you find the expertise that fits your unique needs. If you're in Brooklyn, NY, or nearby, we invite you to explore our services. Visit us today at https://wix.to/w9Rh6v3 for more information! 💡

09/06/2025

New blog post on recognizing and understanding features of more subtle autism presentations:

Like many of my colleagues, I have seen a recent spike in requests for autism evaluations for teens and adults. In the past, autism was mainly associated with children who displayed easily recognizable traits - struggling to communicate with others, showing clearly unusual and repetitive behaviors,....

10/27/2023

Wanted to share an article I was recently interviewed for by a local journalist. Glad to see dyscalculia/math LD getting some much needed attention:

“It leads to misdiagnoses and neglect,” he said. “It comes down to educating the educators. We need a bipartisan effort that crosses the party lines. Every

05/15/2023

New blog post on the diagnosis of nonverbal learning disability (NVLD)

Although the concept of NVLD (nonverbal learning disabilities) has been around since for decades, it is still not fully understood. The DSM-5, the psychiatric diagnostic manual commonly used in the US, does not include the NVLD diagnosis and there is still ongoing debate over the definition of NVLD....

10/19/2022

My new blog post discusses the challenges of identifying and supporting twice exceptional (2E) Kids

Evaluations of twice exceptional (2e) children, intellectually gifted children with learning disabilities

04/18/2022

One of the few much needed studies to systematically review neuropsychological functioning in gifted children. Compared to typically developing peers, gifted children have many cognitive strengths, yet on many other measures of cognitive functioning, no discernible difference is identified between gifted and typical kids. Just like typically developing children, intellectually gifted kids can have learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders, like ADHD requiring accurate diagnosis and treatment. Yet identifying LD and ADHD among these children remains more challenging precisely because of their cognitive strengths relative to typically developing children:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/neuropsychological-profile-of-intellectually-gifted-children-a-systematic-review/E4DE226BAA7ED66B762945EE5C9568BF

03/18/2022

Print and share our downloadable booklets, fact sheets, and puzzles, or present one of our lesson plans as a Brain Awareness Week activity.

02/28/2022

An ADHD evaluation should include more than just a few symptom checklists. Here's why:

A couple of times a week, I get an inquiry that poses the question above. Usually it goes something like this – I suspect that I/my child have ADHD, can you diagnose it? My response is usually an attempt to explain why the testing I do is not just to confirm or disprove the suspected diagnosis but...

02/25/2022

Many great ideas for improving executive functions. Some more practical than others. I would maybe refrain from cutting up your table for firewood.

Executive functioning skills range from working memory to cognitive flexibility to inhibitory control, and beyond. They power our daily functioning, future planning, and mental/physical health. Here, learn how to improve core EFs through recommended activities, exercises, and games.