About Shelley M. McDermott,
PhD, BCBA-D
Dr. Shelley McDermott is a licensed psychologist who specializes in psychological and psychoeducational evaluations for children and adolescents. She helps families understand concerns related to development, communication, attention, learning, behavior, social interaction, and emotional well-being.
Her goal is to give families more than a test score or diagnostic label. Through a thoughtful, individualized evaluation, Dr. McDermott works to develop a clearer picture of each child’s strengths and needs—and to provide practical recommendations that families can use at home, at school, and in collaboration with other professionals.
Helping Families Find Clarity
Parents often seek an evaluation after months or years of uncertainty. A child may be struggling academically, having difficulty managing emotions or behavior, communicating or interacting differently from peers, or finding everyday expectations increasingly difficult. In other cases, a teacher, pediatrician, therapist, or other professional may have recommended that the family explore a possible diagnosis.
These concerns do not always point to one obvious explanation. Similar behaviors can arise for different reasons, and children may experience overlapping developmental, learning, attention, or emotional needs. Dr. McDermott approaches evaluation as a process of carefully understanding the whole child rather than assessing symptoms in isolation.
Families do not need to determine in advance which evaluation is appropriate. Dr. McDermott begins by learning about the family’s concerns, the child’s history, and the questions they hope to answer. She then recommends an assessment process tailored to those needs.
A Comprehensive, Child-Centered Approach
Every child brings an individual combination of abilities, experiences, challenges, and developmental needs to an evaluation. For that reason, Dr. McDermott does not use a one-size-fits-all assessment process.
Depending on the referral questions, an evaluation may consider a child’s developmental history, communication, social interaction, cognitive abilities, academic skills, attention, executive functioning, adaptive functioning, behavior, and emotional well-being. Relevant records and information from parents, teachers, therapists, or other professionals may also help provide a fuller understanding of how the child functions across settings.
Dr. McDermott selects assessment activities and standardized tools based on the child’s age, individual needs, and the questions being explored. Findings are considered together so that areas of difficulty are understood within the context of the child’s broader pattern of strengths and needs.
When a diagnosis applies, Dr. McDermott explains what it means in clear, accessible language. When the findings suggest another explanation—or when a diagnosis does not apply—families still receive useful information and recommendations for moving forward.
Areas of Specialized Expertise
Dr. McDermott has extensive experience evaluating children and adolescents with concerns involving:
Autism and social-communication development
ADHD, attention, and executive functioning
Learning disabilities and persistent academic difficulties
Dyslexia risk and emerging reading development
Cognitive and adaptive functioning
Behavioral and emotional concerns
Anxiety, mood, and other mental health needs
Complex or overlapping developmental and diagnostic questions
Her background in school psychology and behavior analysis provides a broad perspective on how children develop, learn, communicate, and manage expectations across home, school, and community settings.
Education and Professional Training
Dr. McDermott earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas State University in 2005. She received her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis, from the University of Houston–Clear Lake in 2007.
She went on to earn her PhD in School Psychology from the University of Oregon in 2012. Dr. McDermott completed both her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship through Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Dr. McDermott is a licensed psychologist and holds the Board Certified Behavior Analyst–Doctoral designation (BCBA-D). She has spent more than a decade working with children, adolescents, and families and currently practices at Kennedy Krieger Institute while also seeing families through McDermott Psychological, her independent Baltimore practice.
Clear Findings and Practical Recommendations
An evaluation should help families understand what to do next. Dr. McDermott places particular emphasis on translating assessment findings into clear, individualized recommendations.
Depending on the child’s needs, recommendations may address educational supports, accommodations, interventions, therapy, behavioral strategies, medical consultation, or additional services. They may also help parents communicate with schools and other providers more effectively.
Families should leave an evaluation with more than an answer to a diagnostic question. They should have a fuller understanding of their child, greater confidence in how to support them, and a practical foundation for decisions about school, treatment, and what comes next.
Specialized Expertise With Greater Access
Families seeking evaluations through large medical or institutional programs may encounter lengthy waitlists before their child can be seen. McDermott Psychological offers access to an experienced child psychologist with considerably greater appointment availability, allowing families to pursue answers and recommendations sooner.
Initial parent meetings are conducted through telehealth. In-person assessment appointments take place at Dr. McDermott’s office at The Rotunda in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood.
View Evaluation Services
Currently Accepting New Evaluation Clients
McDermott Psychological is currently welcoming families seeking psychological and psychoeducational evaluations for children and adolescents in Baltimore. Depending on your child’s needs the evaluation process may be able to begin soon after your initial inquiry.
Submit an evaluation request to tell Dr. McDermott about your concerns and learn about current availability and possible next steps.
Reaching out does not commit your family to scheduling an evaluation.