About Us

Hand holding brain-shaped puzzle with a missing piece and sunlight shining through.

ABOUT COGNICARE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY SPECIALISTS

Specialized Neuropsychology. Meaningful Answers. Human Care.

CogniCare Neuropsychology Specialists is a specialty neuropsychology practice dedicated to helping adults and older adults better understand changes in memory, thinking, behavior, mood, and everyday functioning.

Our approach combines the science and precision of neuropsychological assessment with something equally important—the human connection that should remain at the center of healthcare.

We believe an evaluation should do more than produce test scores or assign a diagnosis. It should provide meaningful answers, help patients and families understand what those answers mean, and give referring providers clinically useful information that helps guide the next step in care.

Why Choose CogniCare Neuro?

Care That Still Has a Human Touch

At CogniCare, patients remain connected to experienced professionals throughout the evaluation process.

Patients meet directly with a doctoral-level clinician for their clinical interview. Testing is completed face-to-face with a trained neuropsychometrician, allowing for personal interaction, careful observation, and support throughout the assessment process.

Following testing, the doctoral clinician personally integrates the patient's history, medical information, behavioral observations, and test findings and completes the clinical report.

Patients and families are then offered a feedback session directly with the doctoral clinician to discuss findings, answer questions, and better understand recommendations and next steps.

From the first conversation through the final feedback session, our goal is simple: specialized assessment without losing the human connection.

More Than a Diagnosis

Neuropsychological symptoms rarely occur in isolation.

Our clinicians specialize in understanding complex and co-occurring presentations and determining how neurological, medical, psychological, behavioral, and situational factors may interact to affect cognitive functioning.

This becomes particularly important when differentiating among concerns such as:

Normal cognitive aging
Mild cognitive impairment
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
Neurological and medical conditions
Depression, anxiety, and other emotional disorders
ADHD and executive dysfunction
Substance-related cognitive changes
Somatic and psychological contributions to cognitive complaints

The goal is not simply to identify areas of weakness. It is to understand why the difficulty may be occurring and what can meaningfully be done next.

Why do Providers Refer to & Prefer CogniCare Neuro?

Clear Answers. Clinically Useful Reports. Timely Communication.

We recognize that a neuropsychological evaluation is most valuable when the findings can actually be used by the professionals caring for the patient.

CogniCare works collaboratively with neurologists, primary care physicians, psychiatrists, geriatric providers, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to answer specific referral questions and provide meaningful diagnostic clarification.

Our reports are designed to be detailed without being unnecessarily lengthy. We prioritize clear diagnostic impressions, clinically relevant findings, and individualized recommendations so referring providers can efficiently identify the information that matters to ongoing patient care.

Recommendations are developed from the individual's history, presentation, test findings, diagnosis, functional needs, and available resources—not simply carried forward from a standardized list.

Timely Results

We understand that patients and referring providers are often waiting on neuropsychological findings before making important treatment, medication, safety, or care-planning decisions.

Our goal is an average 10-business-day turnaround from completion of testing to delivery of the completed report directly to the referring provider.

A Collaborative Extension of Your Care

When you refer a patient to CogniCare, our goal is to serve as an extension of the care you already provide.

We aim to answer the referral question, clarify complex presentations, provide practical recommendations, and return meaningful information to you efficiently—while ensuring your patient receives compassionate, face-to-face specialty care throughout the process.

MEEt the founder

Amber M. Deckard, Psy.D.

Dr. Amber Deckard, the visionary leader behind CogniCare Neuropsychology Specialists, boasts over a decade of dedicated experience in the realm of neuropsychology, a journey that commenced with intensive clinical rotations during her doctoral studies. A lifelong resident of Hobe Sound, Dr. Deckard's educational path was marked by a foundation at Hobe Sound Christian Academy and South Fork High School, coupled with actively serving in the US Marine Corps, which paved the way for her academic pursuits.

Her academic achievements include Summa Cum Laude honors from Indian River State College, followed by Magna Cum Laude distinction from Florida Atlantic University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. The pursuit of knowledge led Dr. Deckard to Nova Southeastern University (NSU), where she attained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Among the multifaceted domains of clinical psychology, it was neuropsychology that beckoned her, driven by an unyielding passion to unravel the intricate workings of the human brain. This fascination found its roots in her innate strengths in analysis and mathematics, complemented by a deep-seated well of altruism, kindness, and discernment, all of which form a cornerstone in her diagnostic prowess.

Dr. Deckard's professional journey saw a pivotal milestone with the completion of her APA Accredited Internship at the Pensacola Joint Ambulatory Care VA, followed by a successful venture into forensic and clinical post-doctoral residencies under the guidance of board-certified neuropsychologists. Her expansive training is firmly rooted in evidence-based practices, providing her with an exceptional grasp of syndrome-based comprehension in the realm of neuropsychological disorders.

* Note from a prior supervisor: 'Dr. Deckard's efforts in consulting the scientific literature on a particularly complex case involving suspected corticobasal syndrome were so thorough that her findings lead the referring neurologist to adjust his diagnostic conceptualization. The neurologist later expressed his satisfaction in working with her and asked if she was available to participate in other cases... Her presence has been missed by many here since her departure. I have no doubt that she will continue to contribute meaningfully to our field and serve as an invaluable resource. '

Dr. Deckard specializes in assessing how injuries, illnesses, and psychopathology affect cognitive functioning and behavior. She also provides a meaning-based approach to feedback that is unique and osmotic. Her professional activities include neuropsychological & psychological evaluation of older adolescents, adults, and older adults.

Her diagnostic considerations often include brain injury, stroke, chronic pain, stress, psychopathology & personality, polypharmacy, dementias, IQ, ADHD, capacity, medical & neurological disorders.

~ Dr. Deckard's Motto is "Great Achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness.” – Napoleon Hill