Developing Pathways from Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Our Mission
What We Believe
What We Provide
Who We Are
Why We Were Founded
Our Mission
“Our mission is to partner with families to develop safe, supportive environments at home and school that optimize their students’ educational experience and the well-being of the whole family.”
What We Believe
We believe in providing optimism, objectivity, and a collaborative work ethic in helping parents and students navigate their relationships with teachers, tutors, therapists, and other resources.
We believe careful implementation of recommendations in school and at home is necessary for a neuropsychological evaluation to have the maximum and lasting impact.
We believe in helping parents and students make use of the most current research findings in brain science, learning disorders, and educational strategies.
We believe that when individuals feel safe and supported, they function in an optimal way.
What We Provide
Recommending and Overseeing School Placement
- Determining best school fit socially, emotionally, and academically for a child
- Functioning as an educational liaison with schools
Implementing and Reviewing Neuropsychological Evaluations
- Putting initial evaluations into motion
- Discussing children’s needs with the psychologist who evaluates them
- Prioritizing and implementing recommendations
Supporting Transitions
- Planning successful transitions: from pre-school to elementary, elementary to middle, middle to high school, and high school to college
- Finding alternative options for post-high school and gap years, procuring work experience, and coaching for work.
Guidance for Parents and Families
- Helping families gain an integrated perspective on children’s learning, social, and emotional needs
- Providing help with implementing effective homework strategies as well as linking children up with productive tutoring resources
- Helping establish a week night routine and sleep hygiene
- Supporting and providing guidance to home schooling families
Navigating Early Childhood
- Determining early if a child is in a typical or atypical developmental pattern
- Working with preschool teachers on understanding the particular needs of the child
- Helping parents decide whether a neuropsychological evaluation is needed and when
- Exploring Kindergarten readiness
Who We Are
Starr Stixrud
Contact: starr@stixrud.com
Starr Stixrud, M.Ed., has thirty years of experience helping families and students in classroom and home environments. She served as Administrative Director of neuropsychological evaluation practice The Stixrud Group since 1990, after a 15 year career in early childhood education. During her career in education, she was a classroom teacher, provided extensive staff training, and led weekly parent education seminars.
Starr formed Stixrud Educational Consulting (SEC) because of her interest in providing guidance to families in preparing pathways for their children’s journey from childhood to adulthood.
Starr received a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Washington, as well as a Specialist Certification in Early Childhood Education from the Institute of Childhood Development at the University of Minnesota.
Patty Eyster
Contact: peyster@stixrud.com
Patty Eyster, M.Ed., began her career in management consulting but switched to education after she had her own family. She has been an educator for seven years, with particular interest in children, teenagers, and young adults on the autism spectrum. She homeschooled for several years, and she created curriculum for a small independent elementary school for children on the autism spectrum. Patty has also developed and managed programs to help teenagers on the spectrum learn about and participate in the workforce. She stays current on available and new treatments for autism; and she has been trained in social thinking curriculum, as well as floor-time therapy.
Patty received a M.Ed. in Special Education from American University and completed her teacher internship at the Lab School in both elementary and middle schools.
Martha Ein
Contact: mein@stixrud.com
Martha Ein, M.Ed., has been an educator in the Washington, DC area for over 20 years. She began her career as a classroom teacher in the independent school community and continued by administering educational diagnostic testing at the Kingsbury Center. Most recently, Martha served as Director of Learning Specialists at the McLean School of Maryland, an independent school committed to making education accessible to a wide range of learners. Martha has been a guest speaker at many parent educational seminars discussing executive function, technology, and homework. She also collaborated with William Stixrud, Ph.D. in developing the “Strategies that Work: Tutor Training Program.”
Martha earned a B.A. in Elementary/Special Education and M.Ed. in Special Education from American University in Washington, DC.
Deborah Mans
Contact: dmans@stixrud.com
Deborah Mans, M.A., became a special educator in 1994, after a career in urban planning. For 12 years, she taught science, reading, and English at the Lab School of Washington, an independent school for students with learning disabilities, where she was also a private tutor. During her career in special education, she was a research
assistant for a Peer Assisted Learning project (PALS), and supervisor of student teachers at the masters level in special education. She has also served on panels concerning postsecondary transition of high school students with learning disabilities.
Deborah earned an M.A. in Special Education: Learning Disabilities, at American University, in Washington, DC, and completed doctoral coursework in Special Education: Postsecondary Transition at the University of Maryland, College Park. She also earned a B.A at Harvard University, and an M.C.P. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Why We Were Founded
Raising children challenges most parents with a variety of questions and decisions making for which there are often no obvious answers or solutions. Parents of children with learning or social vulnerabilities are faced with particularly perplexing and complex situations and might find that many of the solutions that might work for most are not ideal for their children. Our objective is to assist all families in creating and sustaining life affirming change.
SEC is an affiliate of The Stixrud Group, an evaluation practice. This enables us to regularly collaborate with skilled and experienced psychologists, combining a unique educational and neuropsychological perspective to our work.