About

Introduction

Michael Paff, DEd, NCSP, is a New York State licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist in New York and Pennsylvania, and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He has a doctorate in school psychology with a specialization in the neuropsychology of learning disabilities, and years of experience as a school psychologist in schools in New York and Pennsylvania. He has worked with students in pre-K through grade 12 in rural and suburban settings. He is also a CSE and 504 Committee chairperson, so he has a thorough knowledge of federal and state regulations (IDEA, New York State Part 200, and Section 504). He can provide students and their families with thorough evaluations for developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, as well as giftedness, and offer research-based recommendations to families and schools to ensure that students receive the education to which they are entitled under the law. He also provides consultation on the Science of Reading, helping translate scientific research into practice in the classroom. He is an expert in matters related to supporting LGBTQ+ students and their families in schools and is passionate about affirming the rights and dignity of every student.

Background

Dr. Paff grew up in the Hudson Valley and graduated from Marlboro Central High School. He attended college and graduate school in Pennsylvania. He has been a school psychologist since 2007. He earned his doctorate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2014, after completing a dissertation examining novel ways of assessing rates of acquisition and retention of learning among gifted pupils. He has been licensed as a psychologist in New York since 2018.

In addition to his work in public schools, Dr. Paff has served on the executive board of the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP) since 2016. He has served as chair of the research committee, chair of the culturally-responsive practices committee, editor of The New York School Psychologist, and executive board secretary. He is currently NYASP president-elect. Dr. Paff has presented at NYASP conferences and has been part of the writing team for various NYASP position statements on addressing racism and social justice, ensuring equitable access to testing accommodations for college-bound students with learning disabilities, and on the dignity and autonomy of indigenous persons in New York State.

In addition to his activities with NYASP, he been a member of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and has maintained active certification by the National School Psychology Certification Board, since 2007. He is also a member of the American Psychological Association and the International Dyslexia Association.

Dr. Paff is a member of the New York State Suicide Prevention Council (Schools and Youth Workgroup), working on suicide prevention strategies for pre-K through 12 students, with a particular focus on at-risk and LGBTQ+ youth. Currently, he is working with faculty from NYU, and representatives of other organizations, to bring the innovative Directing Change student filmmaking suicide prevention project to New York State, and with faculty members from other national universities on a project tracking anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country. Dr. Paff previously worked with other stakeholders on the Creating a Safe, Supportive, and Affirming School Environment for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students Legal Update and Best Practices document, released by NYSED in 2023. He has presented to local and regional conferences on supporting LGBTQ+ students in schools.

Dr. Paff is also a member of the New York State Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force, which was created by the legislature in order to advise on strategies for screening for dyslexia and dysgraphia, effective reading instruction, and supports for students, parents, and educators.

Dr. Paff is an adjunct professor at Marist College, where he has taught graduate-level classes in developmental psychology, social/emotional/behavioral and academic assessment, learning disabilities, and neuropsychology. He previously taught in the school psychology graduate programs at Iona University and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (now Pennsylvania Western University-Edinboro), where he taught classes in cognitive and academic assessment, individual and group counseling, adolescent psychology, single-case design research methods, and he supervised school psychology interns and practicum students. He is passionate about training school psychologists to be culturally-responsive scientist-practitioners who can help meet the educational and behavioral health needs of every student.

Note

At this time, Dr. Paff does not accept insurance. His practice is private pay only. He will provide a Superbill, that the client can submit to their insurance company for potential Out of Network (OON) reimbursement, upon request.