Conway Psychological Assessment Center

“As I turned into the drive at Conway Psychological Assessment Center I felt a certain peace come over me. Setting back in the trees was such a welcoming building with a light an airy feeling. As I walked inside I immediatley notice that it was immaculate. The receptionist opened her window, welcomed me and let me know where the ladies room and I was so appreciative. When I turn to sit and wait for my name to be called it was like I was walking into the most welcoming living room. Many options as to where to sit and the colors where just so calming. Dr. Dielman called my name and I entered her office she introduced herself and I felt like I was talking to an old friend. Should you need the services that CPAC offer, I say don't wait make that appointment; I am just an average Jane but I can say you probably won't find another place that makes you feel calm, safe, and taken care of than Conway Psychological Assessment Center.”

“Horrible testing environment. The walls are so thin. At the same exact time of my testing there was a very loud kid in the room next door. It was extremely distracting and most likely confounded my results.”

“We sought comprehensive evaluations for our children here. While the clinicians were professional & the testing process itself was thorough, our experience was ultimately very disappointing due to how results were interpreted. In both cases, our children are highly verbal, cognitively strong, & able to perform well in structured testing environments. Significant concerns reported by caregivers (including emotional dysregulation, sensory processing differences, executive functioning difficulties, and severe home/school masking) were consistently minimized or reframed as parental stress, anxiety, trauma, or behavioral issues rather than considered within a neurodevelopmental context. Autism was ruled out primarily on the basis of eye contact, verbal ability, theory of mind, & performance during brief clinical observations. Current research & clinical consensus increasingly recognize that these factors do not reliably exclude autism, particularly in bright, high-masking children. Many autistics demonstrate strong language, social insight, & emotional understanding while still experiencing significant nervous-system regulation differences not captured in short testing sessions. The evaluations relied heavily on examiner observation & school reports while discounting longitudinal caregiver data, despite evidence that masking and context-dependent functioning are common in neurodivergent children. This approach does not reflect modern, neurodiversity-informed practices. Since these evaluations, our children were later formally diagnosed as autistic through providers with specific experience in masked & non-stereotypical presentations. This contrast strongly suggests the diagnostic framework used here was overly narrow and outdated. Families seeking evaluations for gifted, verbal, emotionally expressive children (especially girls) may want to ask detailed questions about the clinic’s approach to masking, caregiver report weighting, & up-to-date autism research before proceeding. Unfortunately, our experience resulted in delayed clarity & increased stress rather than meaningful understanding or support. EDITED IN RESPONSE: I want to provide additional context by referencing language directly from our children’s prior eval, as well as clarifying subsequent diagnostic findings. In the earlier report, autism was ruled out using statements such as: “___ does not meet criteria for autism because she makes good eye contact, communicates clearly, & demonstrates good social communication when feeling comfortable.” (Masking) & “But since autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the symptoms & behaviors associated with that disorder should be consistently displayed across settings with little variation. In ___’s case, he comes across as a much different child in multiple settings.” (Masking) The report further stated: “His mother’s response pattern suggested a usually negative view of his behavior… often such ratings reflect a great deal of frustration… and can sometimes be seen as a plea for help from the parent.” This framing is not diagnostically appropriate as a basis for dismissal. Following this evaluation, we pursued further assessment through Dennis Developmental Center. They documented that our child demonstrated “several behaviors typically seen in Autism Spectrum Disorder which need to be further investigated,” including persistent social communication differences, sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors, rigidity, and regulation challenges. After comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation, our children have been diagnosed. We share this experience to highlight how reliance on eye contact, verbal ability, perceived situational variability, or interpretations of caregiver reporting can contribute to delayed identification, particularly for verbally able, high-masking children in complex home environments. Diagnostic framing has real consequences for access to services. Our intent is not to dispute integrity, but to encourage reflection on how assessment language and assumptions affect families.”

“I am an adult female and recently underwent an ASD/ADHD/etc evaluation at this clinic. Currently waiting on results. I want to write this review without it being clouded by any emotions I have about the results. I think a lot of these low ratings are unfair. The doctor did not design these tests, he is simply administering them according to the current diagnostic standards. The doctor was kind and has a gentle voice and has an impressive collection of Funko Pops. So. Many. Funko. Pops. Also, he has a mechanical keyboard. If that bothers you, you should bring earplugs or noise cancelling headphones if you can afford them. The complaint that issues have to be detrimental to get a diagnosis is just ridiculous. The literal definition of a disorder is that is is detrimental! Can understand being disappointed, frustrated and feel your struggles invalidated that the results were not as expected. One of the goals of these tests are to see if these traits are severe enough to justify the costs of therapies to insurance. companies. Liz was very kind and patient with me on the phone. I hung up on her twice and her voice was still gentle. I do not do phone conversations well but it was necessary. You may not be able to get a live person on the phone sometimes. Be prepared to leave a voice message. The paperwork to get an appointment was intimidating and took me a long time. I did it anyway. The office itself is very nice! Lots of space. Not too visually busy. The landscaping outside is beautiful. There is a wooded area across the parking lot that is very nice to hang out in when you need a break. I got to use a conference room with a beautiful view of the wooded area. It started storming while I was there and I enjoyed being able to see the rain and stuff blowing around outside. The bathroom is also nice. Very clean and they have actual paper towels to dry your hands on. My only critique is the lack of a water fountain, but that is not enough to dock any points. The doctor gave me a cup of water on request. I was very scared but my daughter came with me to help me get there on time and to keep me from leaving before I was done with the evaluation. My daughter told me that the staff offered her beverages and snacks while she waited for me. They were very kind to her. The evaluation itself is a grueling process, but they are okay with you bringing whatever you need to help stay calm. They won't judge you for being weird. I won't spoil exactly what the tests were, but I felt very angry and frustrated by a lot of them. Again, THAT IS NOT THE DOCTOR'S FAULT. He was very patient with me even though it took me over six hours to get through everything. It was unfortunately not a fun or pleasant process for me. But I did it and I am proud of myself for that. I am having a lot of different emotions while I wait for the results. I was pretty crippled for a couple days after the evaluation. Still recovering. The paperwork does warn you that you may not get the results you expect or want. This process is designed to be standardized but there is still a subjective aspect to any psychological diagnosis process due to the intangible quality of the psyche. People are individuals and these disorders manifest differently in everyone. Personally have experienced wildly different Dxs from different doctors back in the day when they were not able to give me a thorough evaluation like this. Doctors are human too and can make mistakes and have bad days. The paperwork also states that there is an appeal process if you feel mistakes were made or you were misunderstood. On a personal level, am trying to manage expectations due to many bad experiences with psychiatrists and inpatient psych wards. (This is embarrassing, but one of the reason I brought my daughter was so she could create a distractions and help me get away if it looked like I was going to be sent inpatient again. Unmasking in public feels dangerous. But am still free, w00t!) Hitting character limit so I conclude.. recommend this place.”