Michael Selby, Ph.D.
Dr. Selby Is a clinical neuropsychologist with 30 years of experience in psychological clinical practice during which he has provided over 4,000 psychological assessments, approximately 1000 of which were related to identifying and analyzing learning disabilities in students of all ages. As a professor of Psychology at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California, Dr. Selby has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in Psychological Assessment, as well as courses in Biopsychology and Psychopharmacology, thus he is very familiar with learning disabilities as well as how to assess and treat them.
Dr. Selby has recently decided to offer learning disability assessments for both children and adults at a significantly reduced rate in order to help people more quickly and affordably receive the information they need to qualify for educational and other services they might need.
Many parents find that, while public schools offer this kind of testing free to their pupils, this does not meet their family’s needs. There can be testing delays related to limited resources, which in turn delay the start of remedial services. More important, though, is that when the school system does the testing, both the decision to test and the record of test results are controlled by the school, not the parents, and the results become part of the student’s permanent school record. Sometimes parents prefer to have their child tested privately so that they have more control over these decisions.
However, private evaluations can be very expensive and are often completely out-of-reach for a great number of families. Over his career, Dr. Selby has seen the consequences of delayed or unavailable treatment for people with learning disabilities, which is why he has decided to try to help to make testing more both more affordable and more accessible.
Dr. Selby’s Post-Graduate Credentials
• Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of Memphis
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Neuropsychology, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Center
• M.S. Clinical Psychopharmacology, Alliant University
• Has had over 30 professional journal Publications in the area of Neuropsychology
Where is San Luis Obispo?
Dr. Selby’s office is within two blocks from the San Luis Obispo Amtrak station, and close to local public transportation thus is accessible to those who come from other areas.
San Luis Obispo, which is where Cal Poly University is located, and where Dr. Selby maintains his private office, is on California’s Central Coast. This is an area renowned for its year-round mild weather, its charming towns, access to outstanding beaches and vibrant community life. It is a popular tourist destination for a wide variety of people because of the diversity of experiences available.
Who Will I Have Contact With?
Because testing is done in a home-like environment (the office is actually attached to Dr. Selby’s home) most contacts with be with Dr. Selby directly, either by email or by telephone. Of course, it is possible that you will encounter Mrs. Selby, who is a retired attorney, or our two outside cats as you come and go, or if you decide to sit in the garden.
What is a clinical neuropsychologist?
A clinical neuropsychologist is a psychologist who has a doctorate in psychology which is then followed by post-doctoral training specific to the assessment and treatment of patients suspected of having impaired brain functioning, or brain injury.
What is the Purpose of this Special Training?
This training is used to assess memory, language, motor, visual/spacial, as well as cognitive, attention/concentration, organization and planning abilities.
How Does the Clinical Neuropsychologist Do That?
These assessments are done using a variety of psychometric “instruments” (tests), which are then analyzed based upon ongoing research in academic and clinical setting. In a comprehensive report, he clinical neuropsychologist summarizes the test findings and their significance in the particular case.
Who Gets the Report?
This report goes to the referring party, which may or may not be the person who has been tested. Referring parties may be the client (if an adult), a child’s parents, a family physician, or in some cases an insurance company or even the courts.