Neuropsychology Professional Training Opportunities

The Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National offers extensive professional training opportunities. We work with graduate student externs, pre-doctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows to train the next generation of pediatric neuropsychologists.

Clinical Externships in Pediatric Neuropsychology

Graduate students in Clinical or School Psychology may apply for externship training with Children’s National's Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Our externships are designed for students who are interested in developing advanced skills in general child assessment, as well as those with specific interests in the growing specialty areas of pediatric neuropsychology. Opportunities include:

• Neuropsychological evaluation of school-age children and adolescents with neurological and developmental disorders (e.g., complex learning disabilities, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, etc.). Externs learn to administer neuropsychological tests, including measures of intelligence, attention, executive function, language, visual processing, learning and memory, social cognition, fine motor abilities, and emotional adjustment. Externs are taught to interpret test data, formulate diagnoses, assist with report writing, and participate in parent feedback conferences. Externs have the opportunity to participate in multi-disciplinary team evaluations and related team meetings and case presentations.
• Some externs work with neuropsychologists in the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, learning to assess children with autism who are able to live independently, and to make complex diagnostic differentials between disorders on the autism spectrum and other neurodevelopmental difficulties that may present similarly.
• Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program. Specialized, focused neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents who have sustained concussions (mild traumatic brain injuries). Patients are seen typically shortly after their injury with serial evaluation and treatment over multiple appointments until full recovery is achieved. Opportunities are available to interact with the medical, school, and athletic systems in the treatment of the concussion.
• Rehabilitation Neuropsychology, working with children and adolescents with moderate to severe brain injury.

Enrollment in a doctoral program in Clinical or School Psychology is required. This advanced assessment externship is most appropriate students who have completed coursework in assessment, and have had prior experience with testing (such as a prior externship that included assessment). Preferred candidates will also have had direct clinical experience with children.

Externships are typically 12 months (September-August), two days per week, although at times, other options can be arranged for outstanding applicants. For more information, please contact the Division of Neuropsychology at 301-765-5448 and ask for the Externship Coordinator to find out more about Clinical Externships in Autism Evaluation, Consultation and Treatment.

Predoctoral Internships in Psychology

Children’s National’s psychology program accepts four predoctoral interns per year into an APA-approved internship program that combines breadth and depth of training in pediatric/ child clinical psychology. As part of their training, interns have the opportunity to complete a rotation through the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology. This rotation is appropriate for interns with previous neuropsychological testing experience. Interns will complete outpatient evaluations and gain experience with a wide range of pediatric populations with developmental and acquired neurological disorders. Interns with a particular interest in autism spectrum disorders may specialize in that population during their rotation with us. Interns may also have the opportunity to complete evaluations through the Executive Function Clinic and the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery, and Education (SCORE) Program. Find out more information about internships in psychology.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National Hospital offers two-year, full-time postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology. Typically, there are three openings each year, including one focusing on autism spectrum disorders.

The postdoctoral training program at CNMC belongs to the Association for Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN), and is therefore designed to meet the criteria set forth by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology. We participate in the APPCN match program, and all applicants must register with the National Matching Service. Upon completion of the fellowship, trainees will have gained the necessary clinical and research skills for independent practice in pediatric neuropsychology, as well as the knowledge base to pursue board certification in clinical neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP-Cn).

Postdoctoral fellows complete comprehensive outpatient neuropsychological evaluations with a range of patient populations, including children and adolescents with medical diagnoses and those with neurodevelopmental disorders. Training opportunities also include rotations through the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery, and Education (SCORE) Program, Executive Function Clinic, Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Program, and hematology-oncology. Postdoctoral fellows participate in formal didactics and professional development opportunities such as experience providing supervision to pre-doctoral trainees. Residency positions are funded for at least 20% research time. Current research projects include concussion/ mild Traumatic Brain Injury, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and neurofibromatosis.

Applications are accepted each January, and competitive candidates are interviewed at the annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society. Applicants should have completed APA/CPA-approved doctoral programs in Clinical, School, or Counseling Psychology and an APA/CPA-accredited predoctoral internship. Applicants should have an established interest and prior clinical experience with children and adolescents, as well as prior training in the area of neuropsychological assessment. The dissertation must be defended prior to the start of the fellowship on September 1.

Please see the postdoctoral fellowship program page for more information. Interested individuals may also contact Dr. Laura Kenealy for more information at 301-765-5430 or e-mail.