Home / Apex
Serving Apex, NCJust minutes from Cary on NC-55, Apex families find in Anchor EEC a trusted partner for ADHD evaluations, dyslexia testing, autism assessments, and the college transition documentation that Apex High graduates need.
From a kindergartner who is struggling to keep up, to an Apex High senior headed to a four-year university, Anchor EEC provides the independent evaluation documentation your family needs to access the right support.
Comprehensive ADHD testing for ages 5 through adulthood. Rebecca distinguishes true ADHD from anxiety, learning disorders, and other conditions that look similar in the classroom. Reports accepted by pediatricians and accepted by schools for accommodation planning.
Learn moreSpecialized testing for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia in children and adults. When a student is bright but reads well below grade level, or struggles with written expression despite clearly understanding ideas, a targeted evaluation identifies what is actually happening and why.
Learn moreInitial and reevaluation autism assessments for ages 4 through adulthood. Rebecca uses a comprehensive interview-based protocol with specific diagnostic measures. High parent involvement for children and teens. Reevaluations accepted when families need updated documentation for school or adult services.
Learn moreADHD, anxiety, learning disorders, and cognitive assessments for adults. Many Apex professionals are reaching out for evaluations for the first time as adults. Whether you are seeking clarity, documentation for workplace accommodations, or pursuing a lifelong curiosity about how your mind works, adult testing is available.
Learn moreNC law requires annual standardized testing for homeschool students, and Anchor EEC provides one-on-one administration of the Woodcock-Johnson Fifth Edition. Each session produces a detailed report with observations, strengths, areas for growth, and concrete recommendations. Available for the Apex area's growing homeschool community.
Learn moreFor families navigating IEP and 504 plan meetings, and for students transitioning from Apex High to college or Wake Tech dual enrollment, Rebecca provides parent education, IEP goal review, and updated evaluation documentation that meets college disability office standards.
Learn moreApex has grown from roughly 20,000 residents in 2000 to more than 70,000 today. Wake County Public School System has worked to keep pace, but rapid growth in any district puts pressure on evaluation timelines, caseloads, and support services. Independent evaluations are not a workaround. They are how many Apex families get clear answers in a reasonable timeframe.
Wake County Public School System is one of the largest school systems in North Carolina. When a teacher or parent requests an evaluation through the school, the school has a legally mandated timeline, but families often wait months before testing even begins. An independent evaluation through Anchor EEC typically moves faster and produces a report that the school system is required to consider at the IEP or 504 meeting. You do not have to wait in the school queue to get answers.
Apex High is one of WCPSS's largest and most academically competitive high schools. The environment is one where students who need support often push through without it, especially when the learning challenge is subtle: slow processing speed, difficulty sustaining attention under pressure, or a reading profile that gets by in middle school but becomes a liability in AP coursework. By the time a parent notices the pattern, the student may be a junior. Rebecca sees many Apex High families at exactly this moment.
Several independent and faith-based schools operate in and around Apex. These schools set their own accommodation policies and do not follow WCPSS procedures. A student transferring from a WCPSS school with an IEP cannot assume that IEP carries forward. Private schools also have no obligation to provide free evaluations. An independent evaluation from a licensed psychological associate is the standard pathway to accommodations in private school settings, and Rebecca is familiar with how these schools work.
Apex has a substantial and active homeschool community, with co-ops, resource centers, and homeschool groups throughout western Wake County. Homeschool families in NC are required by law to administer annual standardized testing, and many families also come to Rebecca when they suspect a learning or attention concern. Without a school system conducting evaluations, the independent pathway is the only pathway, and Rebecca brings 15+ years of NC public school experience to that process.
Two groups of Apex students consistently arrive at Anchor EEC without the documentation they need: seniors transitioning from Apex High to four-year universities, and students enrolled at Wake Technical Community College through dual enrollment while still in high school. Both groups face the same underlying issue. Their IEP or 504 plan from Apex High does not apply in a college or university setting.
IDEA, the federal law that creates and governs IEPs, applies only to K-12 public education. Once a student steps into a college classroom, including a dual enrollment classroom, the legal framework shifts to ADA and Section 504. These are civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination but do not create the same affirmative obligations as IDEA. The student must come forward and request accommodations, and they must bring documentation with them.
College disability offices set their own documentation requirements, but most want evaluation documentation from within the past two to three years. An evaluation completed before high school is almost universally too old. An evaluation from ninth or tenth grade may also fall outside the window by the time a student enrolls. If your student has not been evaluated recently and plans to request accommodations at college, updated testing is not optional. It is the path to getting those accommodations.
Rebecca recommends beginning the process no later than the summer before senior year. The evaluation process itself takes several weeks, and the disability office at the receiving college may have its own review timeline before accommodations are confirmed. Students who plan ahead are the ones who have documentation ready before classes start.
Wake Technical Community College is a college governed by ADA and Section 504. An IEP from Apex High does not automatically transfer to the Wake Tech dual enrollment classroom. Students who need accommodations in dual enrollment courses must go through Wake Tech's Student Disability Services with current documentation from a qualified evaluator. This catches many families off guard, particularly those who assumed the high school's 504 plan would cover the college side of the dual enrollment arrangement. It does not. Rebecca provides evaluations that meet Wake Tech's documentation standards and can help families navigate this transition before the semester begins.
If your student has never had a formal evaluation, they have no documentation at all. That does not mean they cannot receive accommodations at a college or on the ACT or SAT. It means the first step is an independent evaluation. Rebecca works with many Apex-area homeschool and private school families in exactly this position, students who have been managing their learning differences without formal identification and who now need documentation to compete on equal footing at the college level.
Anchor EEC is located at 106 New Edition Court in Cary, NC 27511, roughly 15 minutes from most Apex neighborhoods via NC-55. The office sits just west of downtown Cary, making it a practical commute for families across western Wake County. Traffic on NC-55 is generally manageable outside of peak rush hours, and the drive is straightforward with no highway changes required.
This is one of the most important questions Apex families ask, and the answer surprises many parents: the IEP ends at graduation. IEPs are a product of IDEA, which covers K-12 public education only. Colleges operate under ADA and Section 504, which require students to self-identify and provide current documentation to the college disability office. Most colleges want evaluation documentation from within the past two to three years, and some require more recent testing. A student whose last evaluation was in eighth grade or earlier will almost certainly need updated testing before their college disability office will provide accommodations. Rebecca provides updated evaluations specifically formatted to meet college documentation standards.
Yes. Wake Technical Community College is governed by ADA and Section 504, not IDEA, so an Apex High School IEP does not automatically carry over into dual enrollment coursework. Students who need accommodations at Wake Tech must go through the college's disability services process with current, independent documentation. Rebecca conducts evaluations that meet these standards and writes reports specifically designed to support dual enrollment accommodation requests. Many Apex families come to Rebecca specifically for this reason, since it often catches families off guard when they discover the high school's IEP does not apply on the college side of dual enrollment.
Yes. Anchor EEC serves the broader western Wake County area, including Morrisville, New Hill, Fuquay-Varina, and communities further south and west. All of these areas are within a reasonable drive of the Cary office. If you are unsure whether your commute is practical, call 919-446-3700 and Rebecca's team can talk through scheduling and what a typical appointment involves before you commit.
Rebecca has experience with students attending various independent and faith-based schools in and around the Apex area. Private schools each set their own accommodation policies and documentation standards, and Rebecca is familiar with the variation in what different schools require. If your child attends a private school and needs evaluation documentation to support accommodations, an independent evaluation from a licensed psychological associate is generally the pathway those schools recognize.
The timeline varies depending on the type of evaluation and current scheduling availability, but most families can expect the process to take four to eight weeks from initial contact to final report. That includes an intake conversation, the evaluation appointment or appointments themselves, scoring and interpretation, and writing the report. A comprehensive evaluation cannot be rushed without compromising quality, so Rebecca encourages families to reach out as soon as a concern arises rather than waiting until a school deadline or college application is imminent.
Anchor EEC is located at 106 New Edition Court in Cary, NC, approximately 15 minutes from Apex via NC-55. Rebecca Rose Helms, MA, CAS, HSP-PA, LPA (License #5339), brings 15+ years of NC public school experience and 8+ years in private practice to every evaluation. Whether your child is in elementary school or heading to college, or you are an adult seeking answers for the first time, the right place to start is a conversation.
Call 919-446-3700 or use the contact form to schedule a consultation. Rebecca's team will help you understand what type of evaluation fits your situation and what the process looks like from intake to final report.