Pearl Rieger, a pioneering educational psychologist and cofounder of Rush University Medical Center’s NeuroBehavioral Center, died on July 23 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She was 98. According to her daughter, Nancy Halbeck, Rieger died of heart failure.

Rieger’s career, which began in her 40s after returning to school, was marked by a dedication to understanding and supporting children with learning disabilities. Born Pearl Handelsman in 1928 in Chicago, she grew up in Hyde Park and graduated from Hyde Park High School before earning a degree in speech therapy at the University of Michigan. Early in her career, she worked as a speech pathologist at Michael Reese Hospital and volunteered as a candy striper. After marrying physician Eddie Newman and raising a family, Rieger pursued a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Chicago, launching a private practice focused on evaluating children with learning challenges.

Throughout her career, Rieger emphasized the importance of helping children understand their own learning profiles rather than simply compiling data for educators or parents. “The child who owns his learning disability is the child who makes the greatest progress,” she said in a 1997 interview. Her approach involved engaging deeply with each child’s strengths and weaknesses, which earned her a devoted following from families across the Midwest and beyond.

In the early 1990s, Rieger joined forces with other professionals to establish the NeuroBehavioral Center at Rush University Medical Center, where she was honored with an award named after her in 1997. She also contributed to the academic advisory board of the Cove School in Northbrook, a private institution serving K-12 students with complex learning needs. Rieger worked briefly at the Ancona School in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood and helped found two schools: Hyde Park Day School, which opened in 2000, and Wolcott College Prep, a West Town high school for students with learning differences that began operating in 2013.

Colleagues described Rieger as a deeply curious and compassionate clinician. Karen Pierce, a retired psychiatrist and fellow cofounder of the NeuroBehavioral Center, noted Rieger’s unique approach to individualized testing and her commitment to exploring each child’s potential beyond standard assessments. Josh Price, a school psychologist who succeeded Rieger’s practice, highlighted her ability to make children feel comfortable and heard during testing, which helped instill confidence in both students and their families.

Rieger retired from Rush in her mid-70s but continued to see patients until she was 87. Outside of her professional work, she was active in a women’s Torah study group and maintained a second home in Vail, Colorado, where she skied until age 87. She also served as a consultant to the Vail Mountain School.

Pearl Rieger was married twice—first to Eddie Newman and later to Mitchell Rieger, whom she wed in 1973. Mitchell Rieger died in 2008. She is survived by three children, five stepchildren, 16 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Services have been held.