What is Neuropsychology?
Neuropsychology is a specialized area of the field of psychology that focuses on the assessment and rehabilitation of persons who have abnormal brain-behavior relationships.
Neuropsychologists have training and expertise in areas that include psychology, brain development, neurological disorders and their causes (etiologies), neurodiagnostic techniques, normal and abnormal test results and the effects of medical disorders. Clinical neuropsychologists address neurobehavioral problems of the nervous system. These can include dementia, vascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and other problems.
Many clients who have sustained traumatic brain injuries undergo neuropsychological testing. Often, a TBI prevents the injured person from having the same level of physical and mental function as he or she had prior to the injury. As well, behavior and emotions can be affected. Common symptoms include trouble with memory, finding appropriate words when speaking, seeing clearly, concentrating, solving simple math problems and multi-tasking.
There are several goals of neurodiagnostic testing:
• Assessment of the client’s memory and attention (including “divided attention”) which is the ability of person to pay attention and accurately execute more than one action at once;
• Assessment of the functional educational grade level of the client, and its consistency with what it was prior to the TBI;
• Determining whether the client requires special accommodations (living and otherwise) or a specialized educational plan;
• Determining whether a client, after discharge, can live safely by himself or herself;
• Successfully return to work;
• Manages medications and finances;
• Drive safely
Neuropsychological assessment can be done from two primary perspectives depending on the purpose of assessment. These methods are “normative” or “individual.” “Normative” assessment involves the comparison of a client’s performance against a representative population. This method may be appropriate in investigating whether an adult-onset brain insult, such as a TBI or stroke affects performance on the assessment. “Individual” assessment may involve serial assessment (done regularly and at fixed intervals), to establish whether declines in the assessment score are beyond those which would be expected to occur with normal aging, dementia or another neurodegenerative condition. Since the assessment is task oriented, it relies on standardized testing methods to judge higher-level cognitive functioning. Both a neuropsychologist and the neurologist are often involved, but the test, itself, is designed to provide a more detailed assessment of cognitive abilities than a neurological examination alone.
One of the most important elements of the examination is its scoring and the narrative report that is issued with the scoring. It is important not only for the client, but for the family, from the standpoints of future care planning, setting expectations and consequent finances.
Once the neuropsychological assessment has been reviewed and explained by the neuropsychologist to the client and the family, it must be implemented. The implementation may include appropriate therapies for the client including residential programs, such as that which NeuLife offers, or other types of inpatient or outpatient care.
Neuropsychological assessments can be costly, but they are a key part of the overall assessment of a person who has sustained a traumatic brain injury. They can be vital in setting the course of the remainder of the individual’s life. The information that emanates from a neuropsychological assessment is vital for the client, the family, physicians and all other caregivers .
The staff at NeuLife are trained and equipped to understand, design and execute innovative rehabilitation therapies and strategies for clients who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and neurologic deficits.
NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing superior care and specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic amputations and other catastrophic injuries.
2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757
