Dr. Smith earned her doctorate in school psychology from Texas A&M University with a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. She has gone on to receive specialized training in autism spectrum disorders as well as pediatric neuropsychology and has worked in schools, universities, hospitals, and private practice settings. Her broad range of experiences has developed her expertise in a wide range of common presenting problems including autism, learning disabilities, attention, mood, behavior problems, neurological conditions, and much more. Although Dr. Smith has found her true passion in her assessment work, she started as a therapist and completed her dissertation on the power of the therapeutic relationship. Relationships and community are the foundation for change and Dr. Smith understands the value of fostering a therapeutic relationship as part of the assessment process.
Each assessment is viewed as a collaboration, an opportunity to combine Dr. Smith’s expertise in child development with the family’s expertise regarding their child in order to reach a common goal of understanding why a child is struggling and how to help. Children are part of a system and Dr. Smith will work with each part of that system to best understand how to celebrate a child’s strengths and support areas of weakness, creating individualized recommendations to support a child everywhere from the playground to the school, home, and beyond. As a parent herself she understands just how challenging it can be to navigate the many worlds our children live in and together we can identify the next steps to take in order to help your child thrive.