What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation assesses multiple areas of cognition, including intellectual abilities, attention, learning and memory, academic skills, speed of processing, problem solving, and emotional functioning.
Through this comprehensive evaluation, we can learn more about your cognitive strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations and strategies to fully optimize your success at school, at work, and at home.
Neuropsychological evaluations help to:
- Consider possible disorders that may be affecting academic or occupational functioning, such as learning disorders and/or ADHD.
- An accurate diagnosis is important to understanding and addressing the underlying cause of any difficulties you (or your child) may be experiencing and to provide detailed recommendations.
- Distinguish between the effects of normal aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia.
- An evaluation can clarify the cause and degree of cognitive changes in order to help with treatment planning, set realistic expectations, provide education to the client and family, and develop strategies to optimize daily functioning.
- Identify possibly treatable and reversible factors that can impact cognitive status, diminish overall cognitive efficiency, and cause changes in thinking abilities. Such factors can include:
- psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, etc,
- chronic pain
- medication effects
- sleep-related difficulties
- Provide a baseline and track recovery in cognitive, psychological, and behavioral symptoms that can occur after:
- Identify each individual's unique strengths and weaknesses and how these can affect an individual's functioning at home, at school, and/or at work.
- This information is used to set appropriate expectations and make recommendations for treatment, rehabilitation, decisions regarding a return to work/school, vocational re-specialization, and/or accommodations that will be needed to improve overall quality of life and maximize independence after illness or injury.
- Plan appropriate and effective treatments
- We provide evidence-based treatment recommendations for cognitive disorders and psychological adjustment, including a detailed list of your strengths and relative cognitive weaknesses. This helps guide treatment strategies and tailor recommendations for the type and nature of the work ideally suited to you, school accommodations, and general strategies to help you function at an optimal level.