The Testing Psychologist Podcast

Click here to read the transcript Today, I welcome back pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Robin Peterson to explore why our field continues to struggle with defining and diagnosing learning disorders. We examine the limitations of traditional diagnostic frameworks, such as the IQ-achievement discrepancy model and pattern of strengths and weaknesses (PSW) approaches, while discussing why a conceptual shift toward developmental learning disabilities may better serve children. Robin breaks down the high comorbidity between reading disorders and ADHD, addresses the clinical nuances of identifying learning disorders in high-IQ individuals, and candidly details the current measurement challenges surrounding complex written expression. Our conversation offers actionable guidance for clinicians seeking to balance rigorous empirical evidence with meaningful patient advocacy. Main Topics 05:22: Why the field continues to struggle with defining and diagnosing learning disorders 13:24: Questioning the specificity of learning disabilities and the limits of traditional models 18:10: Navigating the high comorbidity between dyslexia and ADHD in clinical practice 23:56: Diagnosing broad learning difficulties versus isolated academic skill deficits 39:01: Evaluating the validity of Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) and Response to Intervention (RTI) 49:58: Identifying learning disorders in high-IQ populations and defining clinical impairment 56:46: Deconstructing writing disorders, basic mechanics versus complex written expression Cool Things Mentioned Craft: the premier membership community for testing psychologists Crafted Practice: the only in-person business retreat for testing psychologists Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists Guilford Press: www.guilford.com Children’s Hospital Colorado: www.childrenscolorado.org  International Dyslexia Association: www.dyslexiaida.org  American Psychiatric Association DSM-5-TR: www.psychiatry.org  U.S. Department of Education IDEA Information: www.sites.ed.gov/idea  Featured Resources TherapyNotes is the leading EHR system for mental health practitioners. I’ve used TherapyNotes for over 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. Use this link and the promo code “testing” to get two free months and try it for yourself! www.therapynotes.com/testing NovoPsych brings 150+ standardized measures into one platform. If you’re interested in high quality measures for personality, disability, ADHD or Autism, try NovoPsych with a 15-day free trial via this link: https://novopsych.com/testingpsychologist  The Testing Psychologist podcast is approved for CEU’s! I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health! About Dr. Robin Peterson Robin Peterson is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado and an associate professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She has clinical and research interests in neurodevelopmental disorders and acquired brain injuries. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and is co-author of the books Diagnosing Learning Disorders: From Science to Practice and Pediatric Neuropsychology (3rd edition): Research, Theory, and Practice from Guilford Press. She is active in teaching and training graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows. Prior to becoming a neuropsychologist, she taught kindergarten and first grade. Get in touch: Email: [email protected] About Dr. Jeremy Sharp I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents. As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids. Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to join our Waitlist! Join the Waitlist

Would you rather read the transcript? Click here. In this 600th episode of The Testing Psychologist Podcast, I reflect on nearly nine years of hosting the show and synthesize six core principles that drive long-term clinical excellence and practice sustainability. Grounded in literature spanning deliberate practice, therapeutic alliance, systems-level burnout interventions, and knowledge implementation, this episode provides a high-level roadmap for both early-career psychologists and seasoned evaluators. I explore why experience alone does not equal expertise, how systemic hygiene outperforms individual resilience tactics, and why community consultation serves as a vital clinical engine. Whether you’re seeking to streamline administrative friction or audit your core clinical beliefs, this framework offers actionable strategies to elevate your practice. 00:01: Reflecting on 600 episodes and the science of deliberate practice 03:52: Principle 1: Epistemic humility and updating mental models 07:42: Principle 2: The primacy of working alliance and clinical communication 11:14: Principle 3: Prioritizing systemic hygiene over individual resilience 14:48: Principle 4: Bridging the knowledge-to-action gap in clinical practice 17:11: Principle 5: The power of microinterventions and incremental gains 19:29: Principle 6: Leveraging community as a clinical engine Resources Mentioned Craft: the premier membership community for testing psychologists Crafted Practice: the only in-person business retreat for testing psychologists Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists Featured Resources TherapyNotes is the leading EHR system for mental health practitioners. I’ve used TherapyNotes for over 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. Use this link and the promo code “testing” to get two free months and try it for yourself! www.therapynotes.com/testing NovoPsych brings 150+ standardized measures into one platform. If you’re interested in high quality measures for personality, disability, ADHD or Autism, try NovoPsych with a 15-day free trial via this link: https://novopsych.com/testingpsychologist  The Testing Psychologist podcast is approved for CEU’s! I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health!alth to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health!st episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health! About Dr. Jeremy Sharp I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents. As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids. Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to join our Waitlist! Join the Waitlist

Click here to read the transcript As clinical evaluators, we frequently encounter cases where diagnostic criteria overlap, leaving us to navigate the complex intersection of co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions. In this episode, Sara Woods and I explore the emerging construct of AuDHD, examining whether the co-occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder represents a distinct phenotypic presentation rather than merely two additive diagnoses. We discuss qualitative insights from community self-advocates, neurobiological evidence including gray matter variations, and the complex clinical dynamics of diagnostic overshadowing, double-counting, and autistic masking. Furthermore, we address the practicalities of selecting assessment batteries, evaluating sensory profiles, accounting for socioeconomic privileges in special interests, and navigating neurodiversity-affirming practices without abandoning diagnostic rigor. Main Topics Covered 03:02: Defining AuDHD as an emerging construct in clinical and community spheres 04:48: Qualitative perspectives on internal tension and the cat-dog analogy 11:38: Neurobiological research and gray matter variations in dual presentations 19:42: Life-span clinical presentation from childhood masking to adult niche-seeking 26:45: Intersections of socioeconomic status, special interests, and sensory needs 32:46: Key diagnostic pitfalls: overshadowing, double-counting, and masking 44:35: Assessment battery selection and collaborative diagnostic feedback 48:34: Navigating client self-identification, social media trends, and ethical boundary setting Cool Things Mentioned Cool Things Mentioned Craft: the premier membership community for testing psychologists Crafted Practice: the only in-person business retreat for testing psychologists Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists CatDog animated series: www.nick.com Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire: www.autismresearchcentre.com Embrace Autism website: www.embrace-autism.com DIVA-5 Diagnostic Interview: www.divacenter.eu Childhood Autism Rating Scale: www.wpspublish.com Monteiro Interview Guide for Diagnosing Autism Spectrum: www.wpspublish.com Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: www.parinc.com Raising the voices of AuDHD women and girls: exploring the co-occurring conditions of autism and ADHD. Craddock, E. (2024). The Chicago School of Professional Psychology: www.thechicagoschool.edu Featured Resources TherapyNotes is the leading EHR system for mental health practitioners. I’ve used TherapyNotes for over 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. Use this link and the promo code “testing” to get two free months and try it for yourself! www.therapynotes.com/testing NovoPsych brings 150+ standardized measures into one platform. If you’re interested in high quality measures for personality, disability, ADHD or Autism, try NovoPsych with a 15-day free trial via this link: https://novopsych.com/testingpsychologist  The Testing Psychologist podcast is approved for CEU’s! I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health! About Dr. Sara Woods Dr. Woods is a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington Autism Center and in private practice at Discover Psychology. She specializes in neurodiversity-affirming differential diagnosis across the lifespan with special expertise in autism and ADHD. She also offers consultation and training to other professionals and community members. Get in touch: Website: www.laceypsychology.com Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drsarawoods About Dr. Jeremy Sharp I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents. As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids. Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to join our Waitlist! Join the Waitlist

Watch the accompanying video here. Would you rather read the transcript? Click here. Today, I’m bringing you another Business Boost episode to highlight a tool that I’ve been using for nearly 10 years: TextExpander. Our work often involves repeating routine phrasing, administrative boilerplate, and complex diagnostic explanations, all of which consume substantial time. I demonstrate how utilizing software like TextExpander allows practitioners to build standardized snippet repositories, insert digital signatures seamlessly, and automate repetitive clinical text blocks. Additionally, I look at my decade-long metric tracking data, demonstrating how even modest shortcut integration generates compound efficiency gains and saves dozens of hours of report-writing time. Main Topics Discussed 00:06: Overview of text expansion software and snippet repository organization 01:00: Accessing shared snippet groups for psychological evaluation reports 02:14: Walkthrough of creating custom text expansion shortcuts and prefix selection 04:34: Demonstrating cross-platform functionality in Google Docs and email fields 05:40: Advanced applications for digital signatures and standardized clinical paragraphs 06:50: Cost-benefit analysis of subscription software for practice management 08:45: Analyzing 10-year usage metrics and cumulative typing time saved Cool Things Mentioned Craft: the premier membership community for testing psychologists Crafted Practice: the only in-person business retreat for testing psychologists Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists TextExpander Jeremy’s TextExpander snippet group: https://snippets.textexpander.com/group/8a09df8dae851d8d57e9ef38bb12f6fd  Featured Resources TherapyNotes is the leading EHR system for mental health practitioners. I’ve used TherapyNotes for over 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. Use this link and the promo code “testing” to get two free months and try it for yourself! www.therapynotes.com/testing NovoPsych brings 150+ standardized measures into one platform. If you’re interested in high quality measures for personality, disability, ADHD or Autism, try NovoPsych with a 15-day free trial via this link: https://novopsych.com/testingpsychologist  The Testing Psychologist podcast is approved for CEU’s! I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health!st episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health! About Dr. Jeremy Sharp I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents. As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids. Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to join our Waitlist! Join the Waitlist

Click here to read the transcript Today, I’m sharing a conversation with psychologist and musician Dave Juncos to explore the nuanced world of music performance anxiety (MPA). We examined how MPA presents across cognitive, physiological, and subtle behavioral spectrums, and we dive into the underlying psychological mechanisms that perpetuate it. Dave shared insights from his research on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as an effective framework for musicians, highlighting how psychological flexibility allows performers to reconnect with artistic expression rather than engaging in subtle avoidant behaviors. We also discussed the development of the Musicians Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (MAAQ) and explored actionable strategies clinicians and educators can implement to support performing artists. 03:58: Defining music performance anxiety through Diana Kenny’s framework and Barlow’s tripartite model 09:37: Diagnostic considerations and classifying MPA within social anxiety disorder performance sub-types 13:15: Identifying subtle behavioral avoidance patterns and performance rigidity in musicians 19:28: Developing the Musicians Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (MAAQ) for domain-specific assessment 28:25: Research findings on psychological flexibility as a predictor of performance outcomes and competition entry 36:54: Applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions in clinical and coaching settings 42:46: Comparing ACT with traditional approaches like Alexander Technique and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Cool Things Mentioned Craft: the premier membership community for testing psychologists Crafted Practice: the only in-person business retreat for testing psychologists Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety (Dianna Kenny): https://www.academia.edu/24452238/The_Psychology_of_Music_Performance_Anxiety_Phenomenology_of_music_performance_anxiety Association for Contextual Behavioral Science: https://contextualscience.org/ Voice Study Center: https://www.voicestudycentre.com/ ACT for Musicians: www.actformusicians.com Musicians Acceptance and Action Questionnaire: http://actformusicians.com/maaq-questionnaire/  Featured Resources TherapyNotes is the leading EHR system for mental health practitioners. I’ve used TherapyNotes for over 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. Use this link and the promo code “testing” to get two free months and try it for yourself! www.therapynotes.com/testing NovoPsych brings 150+ standardized measures into one platform. If you’re interested in high quality measures for personality, disability, ADHD or Autism, try NovoPsych with a 15-day free trial via this link: https://novopsych.com/testingpsychologist  The Testing Psychologist podcast is approved for CEU’s! I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health! About Dr. Dave Juncos David Juncos, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, lecturer, performance coach, author, and music performance researcher based in Philadelphia, PA. He has over 20 years’ experience in treating a variety of clinical problems, including anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. He specializes in treating music performance anxiety (MPA) and has presented internationally on his research in using ACT to treat MPA and enhance music performance. He is the primary author of ACT for Musicians: A guide for using Acceptance and Commitment Training to enhance performance, overcome performance anxiety, and improve well-being (2022), published by Universal Publishers. He is also affiliated with the Voice Study Centre, a UK-based provider of postgraduate study in Voice Pedagogy. There he lectures on MPA, ACT, achieving peak performance, and he trains clinical and non-clinical professionals in ACT to help them manage students’ MPA and other performance-related problems. Get in touch: Website: www.actformusicians.com Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-juncos-psy-d-b688a53b/ About Dr. Jeremy Sharp I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents. As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids. Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to join our Waitlist! Join the Waitlist