Project Summary:
According to the American Psychological Association, only 4% of clinical psychologists identify as child and adolescent specialists (Abramson, 2022); an even smaller percentage receive training in neuropsychology. Introduction to this specialty is often obtained through on-the-job clinical training as a practicum student during graduate school, with advanced practice training through a postdoctoral fellowship. With a specialization in both brain development and assessment, neuropsychologists provide essential evaluations for children with concerns about development and learning.
A critical shortage of pediatric neuropsychologists, both nationally and locally, leads to significant wait times for families who rely on these assessments for accurate diagnoses and to open doors for treatment. Most doctoral training opportunities exist in the southern regions of our state, resulting in limited to no training opportunities in more rural areas. This proposal aims to address gaps in both provider shortages and limited access to training by increasing doctoral training opportunities in Northeast Wisconsin, bringing high-quality training typically found in more urban environments to our rural communities.
In Wisconsin, 39% of counties have 3.5 or fewer psychologists for every 10,000 children, resulting in families often having to travel farther distances to receive these evaluations, particularly if they live in more rural areas of the state (CDC, 2020 as cited in Burrows, K. & Rysdyk S. 2022). Provider shortages limit access to care and lead to waitlists that can be months to years long, with the current wait time at Catalpa exceeding 24 months. As a result, children are missing out on several years of intervention during a critical period in their development.