Dominick Auciello, PsyD

I am a neuropsychologist specializing in comprehensive evaluations of preschoolers, children, adolescents, and adults with learning, attention, developmental, emotional, and neurological concerns. Through these evaluations, I help individuals and families understand patterns of cognitive and emotional strengths and difficulties, clarify the factors contributing to current concerns, and develop a practical plan for moving forward.

I strive to provide thorough evaluations, timely reports written in accessible language, and recommendations that families and schools can realistically implement. I also work closely with teachers, therapists, physicians, educational consultants, and other professionals involved in a child’s care.

Before entering private practice, I spent a combined 15 years at the NYU Child Study Center and the Child Mind Institute. Through this work, I developed extensive experience evaluating children and young adults with learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, language disorders, social and emotional difficulties, and neurological conditions that affect learning and academic performance.

I frequently help families determine appropriate educational settings and services, including classroom supports, therapies, accommodations, and individualized educational programs. My evaluations are designed not only to clarify diagnoses, but also to provide a detailed understanding of each student’s strengths, needs, personality, and learning style. My recommendations draw upon current research and are tailored to the individual child rather than taken from a standard list.

In addition to neuropsychological and educational evaluations, I provide family based psychotherapy drawing primarily upon the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions approach. This work helps parents and children better understand the difficulties underlying challenging behavior, solve problems collaboratively, and develop more effective and sustainable ways of responding to conflict.

Background

I earned my doctorate and master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. During graduate school, I received extensive training in psychological and neuropsychological assessment with children and adults. I completed my internship at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where I conducted neuropsychological evaluations and provided individual and group psychotherapy to adults with psychiatric, neurological, and substance use disorders.

I subsequently completed two years of postdoctoral training in pediatric neuropsychology through the NYU Child Study Center’s Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement. At NYU, I provided neuropsychological evaluations and treatment for children with a wide range of learning, developmental, and emotional concerns. As an associate research scientist, I participated in studies examining the cognitive processes involved in learning disorders, the writing difficulties experienced by children with ADHD, and the relationship between celiac disease and cognitive functioning.

As a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, I trained psychology fellows, interns, and externs in neuropsychological assessment, with an emphasis on clear, precise, and accessible report writing. I also taught child psychiatry fellows through the NYU Child Study Center’s Family Studies Program and led seminars on learning disorders and other conditions affecting academic performance.

In 2010, I became a founding member of the Child Mind Institute’s multidisciplinary clinical program, where I served as a senior neuropsychologist. I evaluated children and young adults from the New York metropolitan area, across the country, and internationally, helping families understand complex learning and developmental profiles and make informed educational decisions.

While at the Child Mind Institute, I developed and directed Summer Scribblers, an intensive writing intervention program. I also served as Director of Clinical Training, overseeing the education and supervision of postdoctoral fellows, interns, and externs and coordinating the institute’s neuropsychology externship program.

I established my private practice in 2014. In addition to providing neuropsychological and educational evaluations and family based psychotherapy, I remain committed to training the next generation of psychologists through supervision, seminars, and Envisage Neuropsychology’s externship and postdoctoral training programs.

Outside of work, I enjoy playing ice hockey and have spent many years coaching youth hockey. I also practice meditation, play pickleball, enjoy learning other languages, and play the piano and guitar. These interests help me appreciate the many different ways that children and adults develop confidence, perseverance, creativity, and connection.