If you or your child are struggling, you may have been told to consider a ‘neuropsychological evaluation or assessment.’ and you are curious about what that involves. It’s a well-established set of procedures that focuses on understanding how individuals’ brains work while diagnosing conditions related to brain functioning.
Neuropsychological assessments evaluate the brain’s ability to pay attention, communicate, remember information, read, write, process emotions and social situations, and make decisions, to name a few. Importantly, the results of neuropsychological evaluations inform treatment, helping patients, parents, and families make decisions about medications, therapies, work/school accommodations, strategies, and community resources.
Who Provides Neuropsychological Evaluations?
The brain is a complex organ and understanding its multiple functions requires a professional with specialized training. This is true for neuropsychological assessment or evaluation. A neuropsychologist is a licensed psychologist who has a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) followed by a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology. A board-certified neuropsychologist takes an extra step, undergoing a rigorous certification process that reflects the highest level of competence in the field.
Neuropsychologists may specialize in a particular age group, like a pediatric neuropsychologist who specializes in children, but overall, they are trained to detect underlying factors that contribute to an individual’s behavioral, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning. Sometimes, a person experiences sudden changes in these areas. If someone is looking for a neuropsychology evaluation in greater Philadelphia or elsewhere, they must opt for a licensed professional, as neuropsychologists often work closely with physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational or speech therapists, and schools.
What Is Involved?
The evaluation process involves a few steps.
- Interview or consultation to discuss history, concerns, and goals for the evaluation.
- Testing of cognitive skills like attention, memory, language, executive functioning and more. Individuals answer questions, solve puzzles, and may write or draw. There are no needles or scans.
- Interview with the child or young adult patient, as appropriate.
- Questionnaires from parents, spouses or loved ones, teachers, and others
- Feedback to parent(s) and patient, if interested
- Report that gives a ‘big picture perspective, detailed understanding of the patient, results, recommendations, and ideas about treatments or services.
Who Needs It?
Although anyone can request a neuropsychological consultation, there are situations when one is strongly encouraged to do so. The following list is not comprehensive, but consider consulting with a neuropsychologist if you or a loved one experiences:
- Difficulty learning, memorizing or following through on tasks, including at home, school, or work.
- A neurological or medical condition that affects the brain, such as seizures, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, stroke, prematurity, or cardiac conditions.
- Challenges in school meeting grade-level expectations in reading, writing, or math.
- Poor attention, distractibility, or frequent episodes of forgetting or misplacing things.
- A constant need to move or fidget along with impulsive behavior and difficulty waiting or being patient.
- Behavioral or emotional changes, such as sudden mood swings, changes in sleep or appetite, or increased feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
- Anxiety in specific situations or a general tendency to worry.
- Difficulty communicating effectively or comprehending what others say.
- Abnormal social interactions, such as difficulty making or keeping friends or ‘reading’ others people’s body language or cues.
- Poor judgment, decision-making, planning, or organization; rigid thinking or difficulty with change.
Neuropsychological Evaluations Can Improve Quality of Life
The primary goals of a neuropsychological evaluation are to 1) understand how you or your loved one’s brain ‘works,’ 2) determine if the pattern of strengths and weaknesses are in line with an underlying condition or diagnosis, and 3) guide recommendations, including treatment, school/work support, and suggestions for daily life. With this understanding and guidance, an evaluation can lead to an improved quality of life.
- The evaluation might provide crucial information about the person’s diagnosis or condition, paving the way for customized treatment.
- Based on the assessment results, specialized therapy or cognitive training might be recommended to help the individual gain the necessary skills and shift him or her toward positive life changes.
- The evaluation can analyze and highlight areas of clear strength while detecting weaknesses in an individual’s cognitive abilities so that custom, comprehensive learning profiles can be developed to help them improve.
- A neuropsychology evaluation in Paoli, PA, or elsewhere can also help to guide decisions about medications, which is done in collaboration with a physician.
A neuropsychological evaluation or assessment can be helpful, but it is only possible when you seek the support and guidance of a trained and reliable professional. Hopefully, this helped you understand neuropsychological testing for children, teens, and adults so you can make the best decision about this service.
