ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

by Sarah Peter Contributor

It is also called neuropsychological testing, which is a descriptive assessment of skills, reflexes and abilities linked to mental paradigm or brain function. It focuses on areas like problem solving, critical thinking, focus, memory, language, I.Q, visual-spatial skills and emotional intelligence. It is important to remember that it is an evaluation not a solution, so if you are under an impression that it would resolve some mental issues related to your child then you are wrong, the solution could be based on counselling and certain activities that would be decided later by your child’s therapist.

The most common question that we come across is Who would complete a neuropsychological evaluation for child near me? What is the name of the institution? Who to find?

A neuropsychologist completes a neuropsychological evaluation. He/she is a person who is legally licensed as clinical or school psychologist with a Psy.D or PhD degree and has completed a two-year fellowship in neuropsychology. Always remember, impersonating as a neuropsychologist without any legal documents and degrees is a serious offense across the world. Their job is to provide comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for preschool age children, school-age children, adolescents, and young adults to help identify underlying neurocognitive factors that contribute to the strength and weaknesses of their functioning across settings, usually home and school.

The next question that might come into your mind is where to find a neuropsychologist for a neuropsychological evaluation of a child near me?

Generally, the pediatricians, therapists, some other parents or school would definitely have some recommendations otherwise you can always walk in to a teaching hospital there you would find many neuropsychologists and you can have an appointment fixed for your child. Other than this your insurance company might have a network of doctors in your area who you can consult.

The third most common question that people ask is what are the symptoms or activities because of which I should consider a neuropsychological evaluation of a child near me?

Following is a list regarding some areas of concern that may lead to making a referral for a neuropsychological evaluation

1. Behavior difficulties in home or at school

2. Inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity

3. Executive-functioning weaknesses, such as difficulty in breaking down problems and organizing

4. Processing-speed deficits

5. Anxiety

6. Depressed Mood

7. Deficits in learning

8. Giftedness combined with difficulties in learning or other areas.

The next important question that people ask from us is What happens during a neuropsychological evaluation?

There are several parts to a comprehensive evaluation. The specifics could differ based on the original reason for a referral or request for an evaluation. Always double-check with an individual neuropsychologist to ask what will be involved in your child’s evaluation. Generally, the first step to neuropsychological evaluation is consent from Parent/Guardian for conducting the tests as well as considering their intake. The parent intake session will usually take place at the beginning of evaluation which also serves as an opportunity for the parent or guardian to provide information regarding the child’s developmental, medical, educational and psychological history. This type of meeting takes about two hours.

After Parent/Guardian intake comes the child intake in which the neuropsychologist would talk to your child for the first time to make sure your child is at ease and the doctor would also answer any queries that the child might have. Depending on your child’s age, you might be asked to fill out some questionnaires about your child’s everyday feelings and how they interact with other people, after this the test would begin.

After the test comes the final session of feed back in which the neuropsychologist shares the result with parents and the child too (depending upon the age) and in accordance to those results it is further decided what kind of therapies and activities your child should do to be better if anything negative comes in results which let’s just hope that never happens for anyone.