How should I prepare for my initial appointment?
What to expect…
During your first visit, we will ask you about specific concerns you have about your child's neurological health. It is often helpful to bring a written list of all concerns and questions with you. Your child's medical history will be gathered, and a neurological examination will be conducted.
What to bring…
If your child has had any prior neurological or general medical evaluations, such as imaging, blood work, consultations, etc., you may want to bring the documentation with you. It is very important that you bring any school evaluations, such as psychological testing, educational testing if ever done, as well as any individual education plans.
What to complete…
Additionally, we will ask that you print out and complete our Review of Systems Form - Initial Visit.
If your concern is about your child's attention, focusing, memory, behavior, learning, development, socialization, reading, writing, or written expression, please print out and complete the Vanderbilt Assessment Scales – Initial - Parent Informant, and ask your child's teachers to complete the Vanderbilt Assessment Scales – Initial - Teacher Informant.
If you child has tutors, coaches, or other people helping him/her learn, consider asking these people to complete the teacher's questionnaire as well.
Additionally, please complete the Anxiety Scale GAD-7 and the Depression Scale PHQ-9, even if you do not have any overt concerns about your child having anxiety or depression.
How should I prepare for a follow-up appointment?
Print out and complete our Review of Systems Form - Follow-Up Visit. It is important that you list all medications your child is on at the time of their follow-up visit.
If your child is being monitored by us for attention problems, please complete the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, Follow-Up - Parents, and ask your child's teachers to complete the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale - Follow-Up - Teachers.
If your child is on a medication for ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), try to think primarily about the medicine hours when you complete your assessment scale.
If any anxiety problems were identified in the past or if your child is being treated for anxiety, please complete a GAD-7 as well.
Also, please make sure you have all the additional records your doctor requested at the initial visit. This may include attention assessment scales, questionnaires, prior educational testing, individual education plan, prior consultations, and records from other doctors, etc.
How do I send records or information to your office?
Please fax documents to 908-360-4892 or you may upload documents through your patient portal.
If you do not have patient portal access, please click here to register. If you do have patient portal access, use the same link to log in. In order to upload documents and send it to us through the patient portal, on the home page click on "send a message", which is in the middle of the page. Then choose Dr. Topper as your provider. At the bottom there is a tab to attach files. You may also write any pertinent notes within the message.
How do I retrieve documents or letters sent from the office to my patient portal?
To access letters or documents from your child's portal, log in from a desktop computer or laptop. Documents will not be viewable from a cell phone. Once logged in, click on “My Health” and then “Medical Forms”. You will see "Signed documents from your providers”.
How should I prepare and login for a telemedicine visit via Doxy?
During your telemedicine visit, you will be able to communicate with you doctor in a manner similar to other video conferences, such as Zoom or Facetime. Most often we use telemedicine provider called Doxy, which is HIPAA compliant. A telemedicine visit is private and secure. The visit itself is similar to a regular office visit where your doctor gathers history, performs a neurological examination, and discusses your concerns. We will also suggest testing and treatment options as appropriate.
If you have documents or paperwork you would like to share during the visit, and it was not faxed to us previously, you will be able to show it, one page at that time, to the camera, or you will be able to digitally transfer it from your laptop to the doctors’ computer. We can also share some information with you by a sharing our computer screen if needed.
For a telemedicine visit, ideally, please use a desktop computer with a camera or a laptop with an ethernet cable if possible. If neither of those options are available, you may use a tablet or cell phone. Close all unused programs and make sure you have a strong wireless connection. Use Chrome or Firefox if possible. Safari should also work as well.
The most common difficulty patients experience during telemedicine visits is problematic sound quality. It is important that you use headphones if available to ensure good quality audio. Simple earbuds with microphone are the best because, if needed, you can share them with your child - so both of you can listen at the same time.
To prepare…
In preparation for your virtual visit, we encourage you to check AHEAD OF TIME that you can establish a good connection with our office. Please visit doxy.me/DrTopper 1-2 days in advance to ensure your system is able to properly connect. If you experience any issues, please call the office.
For the actual visit…
Log on to doxy.me/DrTopper 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. You will be prompted to allow access to your camera and microphone. Once you allow access, you will the enter your name for check in. You should see the waiting room with a picture of Dr. Topper's badge. Dr. Topper will see you in the virtual waiting room and will connect you to the video call.
How should I prepare for the computerized attention test?
Sometimes it becomes necessary to use computerized attention test to evaluate your child's attention, typically at a follow-up visit. The IVA-2 is a computerized test that evaluates visual and auditory attention. The test lasts approximately 20-25 minutes. Your child will be positioned in front of a computer and will be presented with a series of numbers in random sequence, one at a time, on the screen, or presented via speaker phone. Your child will be instructed to acknowledge seeing or hearing certain numbers by appropriately clicking the computer mouse on stated number while ignoring other numbers.
Your child will have a five-minute practice session at the beginning of the test to get used to the testing environment and to better understand the rules. One parent may stay in the room during the test but interacting with the child is not allowed.
After the test is completed, a report will be generated, and results will be given 15-20 minutes later.
How should I prepare for an electroencephalogram (EEG)?
- EEG is a harmless test. No pain is involved, and it does not affect your child's brain in any way. It only records electrical activity of the brain.
- Please shampoo and dry your child’s hair prior to their appointment.
- Do not apply any conditioner or hair care products to hair (ex. mousse, hairsprays, gels, creams, oils, leave in conditioners).
- Please remove braids/weaves from hair.
- Child should take medications as usual, unless physician states otherwise.
- Child should eat normally, unless physician states otherwise, or unless other procedures require an empty stomach.
- The EEG will be more informative if we capture not only wakefulness, but also drowsiness, and maybe even some sleep during the test. If your child is 4 years of age or older, allow for a later bedtime, by 2-3 hours, the night before the scheduled test. If your child is an infant or toddler, keep their usual bedtime the night before the scheduled test. If possible, try not to allow your child to sleep in the car on the way to the test.
- Be prepared to be at the facility for approximately 1-1 ½ hours for a routine study (the test itself is under 1 hour) and 2-2 ½ hours for an extended EEG study (the study itself is over 1 hour).
- Please arrive with a valid driver’s license for verification and current insurance card to verify eligibility.
How should I prepare for an MRI?
If your doctor prescribed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), please call the main scheduling phone number: 908-277-8673. Summit Health conducts MRIs at four main locations: Berkeley Heights, Florham Park, Westfield, and Livingston. The prescription for MRI is sent directly to the radiology department, so you do not need any paper prescriptions to schedule the test or to take the test. After you schedule the test, our Summit Health team will obtain authorization for the test from your insurance. After you child takes the test, we will call with the results within 24-48 hours.
Where do I find the forms I need to complete?
Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, initial, parent informant
Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, initial, teacher informant
Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, follow-up, parent informant
Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, follow-up, teacher informant