| What is a Neuropsychological Evaluation
The information below derives from the American Psychological Association’s educational pamphlet, “Pediatric Neuropsychology: A Guide for Parents.”
(APA, Clinical Neuropsychology Division 40, )
What is a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation helps you understand your child’s functioning in skills such as attention, memory, language, perception, coordination, and social-emotional. Weaknesses in these areas can be a sign of a learning disorder, such as dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (written output), receptive or expressive language difficulties ( i.e., how well you understand what you hear and how well you express what you know), autism (weakness in areas of communication and social interactions), etc. This information will help you and your child’s teachers, therapists, and physician provide needed intervention or treatment for your child that will meet his or her unique needs.
A neuropsychological evaluation of a school-age child typically assesses the following skill domains using standardized tests and procedures:
- General Intellect
- Language and language-related skills
- Visual-spatial skills
- Learning and memory
- Motor coordination
- Executive Function Skills (organization, planning, inhibition, and flexibility)
- Attentional Control
- Behavioral and emotional functioning
- Social skills
- Achievement skills (reading and math)
Some abilities may be measured in more detail than others, depending upon your child’s individual needs. Emerging skills can also be assessed in toddler and preschool children. Evaluation of these younger children is typically shorter in duration but does include a complete review of their current skills.
By comparing your child’s performance to that of children of similar ages, we can determine your child’s individual strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation can help guide parents, teachers, and doctors in providing your child with any necessary remedication, therapy or support. Our ongoing goal focuses on helping kids to achieve their personal best throughout their development.
What questions can be answered from the evaluation process?
A neuropsychological evaluation can provide answers to many questions parents have regarding their child’s development and skills. These include:
- Why is my child having difficulty in school?
- Why is my child having difficulty learning to read?
- Does my child have difficulty understanding what is said to him/her?
- Why does my child have difficulty remembering what I ask of him/her?
- Is my child late in acquiring certain developmental skills?
A neuropsychological evaluation can explain WHY your child is having difficulty in school, (e.g., learning to read). Sometimes it's hard to determine without a formal test the differentiating between attentional difficulty, a language-based learning disorder, or an auditory processing problem.
Once completed, the evaluation provides a better understanding of the child’s behavior and learning in school at home and in other contexts which can be used to help each child achieve their potential.
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