Toronto & Mississauga Locations
Since the foundation of The Neurodevelopmental & Educational Assessment Centre in 1995, our team of professionals has continuously been growing to offer psychological, developmental, and educational assessments. Our team comprises of Registered Health Care Professionals in the fields of Psychology and Education.
NEAC team members are highly qualified and have extensive experience working with children, families and students of all ages and backgrounds, creating an individualized approach for each of our clients.
Avraham Grunberger is a registered psychologist whose work centers on assessing and treating youth who have complex challenges in the areas of learning, behaviour, and social-emotional functioning.
Completing his doctoral degree in New York State, Dr. Grunberger has devoted much of his clinical career to exploring how academic, mood and anxiety challenges can be a barrier to success. His goal is to help families understand their challenges and develop tools to overcome them.
Since returning to Ontario in 2009, Avraham functioned as a consultant at NEAC and worked in several hospitals and outpatient clinics throughout the GTA, including The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children’s Mental Health, the Tourettes Syndrome Clinic of the Toronto Western Hospital, and the Child and Family Services unit at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga.
In addition to his recent appointment as Clinical Director at NEAC, Avraham is currently an Assistant Professor (PT) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster Univeristy and is full-time staff on the outpatient service of McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Pinny Stern is an experienced Registered Psychotherapist.Over the years, Pinny has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with people suffering from varied psychiatric and psychological disorders.
Aside from being a high-school teacher, Pinny has over fifteen years of experience working with the adolescent population.Pinny specializes in Anxiety and Mood Disorders as well as Family and Marriage counselling.
Dr. Phillips is is part of the Psychology Team at NEAC. In addition to providing services at the Centre, he is part of the staff providing psychological services for students at York University, Toronto. Dr. Phillips is the psychological consultant to Ontario Family Group Homes.
Parisa is a registered member of the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario as a Psychological Associate, holding a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Adler Graduate Professional School.
She works with a diverse range of individuals experiencing psychological and emotional challenges, including trauma, anxiety, depression, and different life stressors. In addition, she provides comprehensive psychological assessments for ADHD and psychoeducation. She also has significant experience completing assessments for WSIB and Veterans Affairs (VA).
Samira earned her Master of Science from Queen Mary University of London (Barts School of Medicine & Dentistry), specialising in Mental Health with a focus on Psychological Therapies. She completed her DCPsych. She is also a Certified Neurofeedback Practitioner and Effectiveness Coach. Through this training, she is equipped to work with individuals experiencing challenges related to addiction, anger, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep difficulties, fatigue, stress, and emotional regulation.
Samira has extensive experience working in a variety of clinical settings internationally, including the NHS (UK) and Tokyo University of Science. She believes her primary role as a Psychotherapist and Psychometrist is to empower clients to better understand and accept their challenges, take ownership of their needs, and access the appropriate resources to move forward and lead more fulfilling lives.
Dr. Silberstein is a registered psychologist who completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Long Island University. His past professional experience includes positions within various community mental health and hospital-based settings, providing assessment and treatment services for adults experiencing a range of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Most recently, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where he specialized in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. At NEAC, Dr. Silberstein works with adults and provides consultation and feedback services for psychoeducational assessments. His goal is to help clients identify the factors that contribute to their learning difficulties and to direct them to resources and strategies that they can use to overcome these challenges and achieve their goals.
Alex completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at Brock University, followed by her Master’s in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Guelph. Alex has worked as a psychometrist with a variety of institutions, most recently Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and has trained psychometrists worldwide, including a team at the Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait City.
Alex is well versed on a wide array of assessment tools and has worked with diverse populations of all ages. She takes a warm, person-centered approach to psychometric testing.
Caroline has worked as a Psychometrist and Educational Consultant since graduating from McGill University in 2015. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University as well as a Master’s Degree in Neurosciences from McGill University. Additionally, she has completed clinical training for the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, specifically the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition (ADOS-2) from University of Calgary in 2021. Caroline greatly enjoys and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults.
In her free time, Caroline enjoys teaching piano to children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities. Caroline is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. She was recently awarded the Carleton C. Whittaker Memorial Scholarship in Psychiatry by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry for her outstanding performance in the field of psychiatry. She will be graduating with a Degree of Doctor in Medicine in June 2025.
Carol is a Registered Psychologist who has been practicing in School Psychology for over 25 years. Her professional experience includes hospital (Hospital for Sick Children) and school board settings. Carol conducts assessments for children and adolescents with a variety of learning and developmental differences including Intellectual Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Autism, and Gifted, with the goal of optimizing their learning and development. Carol has extensive experience in literacy intervention for children and adolescents with written language difficulties. She has provided numerous presentations for professionals and parents about instruction and intervention for reading challenges, special learning needs, and managing challenging behaviours.
My name is Darko, and this is where you’ll find out about some of the hats I wear.
I’ve been working in the clinical-education assessment arena for approximately 10 years as both an evaluator within the field (psychometrist) as well as an evaluator of the field (psychometrician). I currently work as a psychometrist, facilitating diagnoses and treatment pathways through the administration
of psychological, neuropsychological, psychoeducational and psychovocational assessments.
When I’m off the psychometric clock, I tend to fill my time playing guitar, exploring off-the-beaten coffee
shops, cooking, and exploring the world of DIY woodworking projects.
Simon is a Registered Psychologist, and has been practicing in the area of School Psychology for over 20 years. He conducts assessments of children and adolescents for a variety of disorders, including Learning Disabilities, Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disabilities. He has an extensive background in Literacy Development and Intervention, and has provided professional development workshops for educators and parents on a variety of topics including Reading, Managing Challenging Behaviour, Special Needs Intervention, Mediating Conflict, and Parenting. Simon has been a Senior Instructor in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, with a Specialist Certificate in Autism Intervention
Ryna Waksman has been a psychoeducational consultant for over 30 years. She earned an Honours Degree in psychology at York University, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Child Study in Assessment and Counselling from the University of Toronto. She has worked extensively within the public and private school systems as well as in private psychology practices.
With over 20 years of experience as a school psychologist, Rhonda brings deep expertise in supporting the academic, emotional, and developmental needs of children and adolescents. She has worked extensively with diverse populations, helping students with a wide range of learning challenges, including ADHD, ASD, learning disabilities, and executive functioning difficulties, as well as gifted learners.
For the past 10 years, Rhonda has also served as a clinical supervisor, mentoring psychometrists and early-career clinicians. She is known for her commitment to evidence-based practices and her advocacy for inclusive, strengths-based approaches that empower students and families. Her work bridges school and clinical settings, with a focus on practical, compassionate assessment and support planning.
At NEAC, Rhonda continues to lead with empathy and expertise, ensuring every child’s unique profile is understood and supported.
Andrea Zians is an academic coach and learning strategist who supports students with ADHD, learning disabilities, and executive functioning challenges. She helps students develop practical skills for academic success, including planning, time management, studying, note taking, and writing. Andrea holds a Master of Arts in Special Education and has advanced graduate training in Educational Psychology. She has extensive experience in post-secondary accessibility services and assistive technology.
Andrea provides ADHD and executive functioning coaching that helps students become more strategic learners and get better results.
When you reach out to NEAC you can be assured that you will be received warmly by our Administrators. Understanding the depth of questions that can come with exploring assessments, they will guide you through the process and provide support throughout your experience.
"We had an excellent experience having our son assessed here. Appointments were made quickly and we had an excellent experience with the staff and results were accurate."
"This is the 2nd time I’ve used services at the NEAC. The first time was in 2015. They came highly recommended, by some educators I knew and the local school boards value their educational reports. They are thorough, kind, compassionate, and very experienced."
"Our experiences have been overwhelmingly positive! I appreciate the understanding and thoroughness throughout the assessment process. Communication with the office is always accurate, timely, and professional."
