Childhood Psychopathology
Chapter 4 notes
Neuropsychological Assessment
*What is Neuropsychology?
*The clinical study and evaluation of brain-cognition relationships
*Assume that behavior/cognition is mediated by the physical state of the brain
*Cognitive abilities are measured and linked to structure and function of specific brain
regions
*Doctoral level clinical psychologist
*Specialized postdoctoral training in neuropsychology (min 2 years)
*Certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
*We assess and treat:
*Learning disabilities *Brain tumors
*ADHD *Long-term alcohol abuse
*Head injuries *Infectious processes
*Epilepsy *Environmental toxins
*Vascular conditions *Toxins
*Other dementia *Nutritional deficiency
*Alzheimer-type dementia
*What is Neuropsychological Assessment?
*In-depth measurement/analysis of a person’s mental strengths and weaknesses
*Consists of:
*Clinical interview
*Formal testing
*Interpretation/feedback
*Tests are individually tailored based on concerns and patient history
*Length
*2.5 hours of brief exam
*4+ hours of expanded exam
*Cost
*Average of $1,000 ($100-$1,500 based on length)
*Setting
*Quiet and free from distraction
*Laboratory, clinic room, or (if needed) bedside
*Basic areas of functioning
*Attention *Premorbid abilities/intellect
*Language *Perception
*Memory *Executive function
*Motor *Mood/personality
*Adaptive/social skills
*Neurological structure/function relationships
*Function is specific to different regions of the brain
*Frontal lobe *Occipital lobe
, *Parietal lobe *Temporal lobe
*Frontal lobe
*Working memory *Attention/concentration
*Initiation/inhibition *Planning/organization
*Motor speech
*Parietal lobe
*Body orientation *Sensory integration
*Occipital lobe
*Visual processing center
*Temporal lobe
*Auditory processing *Receptive speech
*Memory retrieval
*Lateralization of function
*Left hemisphere
*Logical *Details
*Language *More grey matter (short connections)
*Right hemisphere
*Emotional *Holistic
*Spatial *More white matter (long connections)
*Neurological assessment
*Purpose
*Pinpoint areas of delay, deficit, discrepancy
*Tools
*Interview
*Concerns
*Developmental/medical history
*Previous evaluations
*Test instruments
*Intelligence/developmental tests
*Achievement (reading, writing, arithmetic)
*Other neuropsychological tests: attention, memory, etc.
*Intelligence test batteries
*Full-scale or global IQ score
*Domain or sub-scale scores
*Language/verbal
*Perceptual/visual-spatial
*Motor/processing speed
*Working memory
*Scores are normed for comparison to other adults and children
*Achievement tests
*Domain scores
*Reading
*Site-word
*Comprehension
Chapter 4 notes
Neuropsychological Assessment
*What is Neuropsychology?
*The clinical study and evaluation of brain-cognition relationships
*Assume that behavior/cognition is mediated by the physical state of the brain
*Cognitive abilities are measured and linked to structure and function of specific brain
regions
*Doctoral level clinical psychologist
*Specialized postdoctoral training in neuropsychology (min 2 years)
*Certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
*We assess and treat:
*Learning disabilities *Brain tumors
*ADHD *Long-term alcohol abuse
*Head injuries *Infectious processes
*Epilepsy *Environmental toxins
*Vascular conditions *Toxins
*Other dementia *Nutritional deficiency
*Alzheimer-type dementia
*What is Neuropsychological Assessment?
*In-depth measurement/analysis of a person’s mental strengths and weaknesses
*Consists of:
*Clinical interview
*Formal testing
*Interpretation/feedback
*Tests are individually tailored based on concerns and patient history
*Length
*2.5 hours of brief exam
*4+ hours of expanded exam
*Cost
*Average of $1,000 ($100-$1,500 based on length)
*Setting
*Quiet and free from distraction
*Laboratory, clinic room, or (if needed) bedside
*Basic areas of functioning
*Attention *Premorbid abilities/intellect
*Language *Perception
*Memory *Executive function
*Motor *Mood/personality
*Adaptive/social skills
*Neurological structure/function relationships
*Function is specific to different regions of the brain
*Frontal lobe *Occipital lobe
, *Parietal lobe *Temporal lobe
*Frontal lobe
*Working memory *Attention/concentration
*Initiation/inhibition *Planning/organization
*Motor speech
*Parietal lobe
*Body orientation *Sensory integration
*Occipital lobe
*Visual processing center
*Temporal lobe
*Auditory processing *Receptive speech
*Memory retrieval
*Lateralization of function
*Left hemisphere
*Logical *Details
*Language *More grey matter (short connections)
*Right hemisphere
*Emotional *Holistic
*Spatial *More white matter (long connections)
*Neurological assessment
*Purpose
*Pinpoint areas of delay, deficit, discrepancy
*Tools
*Interview
*Concerns
*Developmental/medical history
*Previous evaluations
*Test instruments
*Intelligence/developmental tests
*Achievement (reading, writing, arithmetic)
*Other neuropsychological tests: attention, memory, etc.
*Intelligence test batteries
*Full-scale or global IQ score
*Domain or sub-scale scores
*Language/verbal
*Perceptual/visual-spatial
*Motor/processing speed
*Working memory
*Scores are normed for comparison to other adults and children
*Achievement tests
*Domain scores
*Reading
*Site-word
*Comprehension
