Neuropsychological Evaluation

Neuropsychological evaluation (NPE) is a testing method performed typically in a hospital or other testing location that is isolated.  No one is permitted to accompany the patient in the testing room, not even if the patient is a small child.   This is to minimize if not completely eliminate any distractions the patient may experience during the testing, and also in order that the patient may give answers completely of their own efforts alone.  

The person administering the tests has been trained in the methods and how to work with patients with various disorders of different ages and walks of life, and even a small child will feel at ease through the testing.   All tests are administered in very particular methods with specific directions that must be told to the patient, even if the patient believes he understands the task without the directions.  This is make sure the testing conforms to certain norms.*

The evaluation can last from an hour up to 6 hours or even longer and is made up of a series of tests that test the patient's memory, cognitive abilities, processing speed, IQ and much more.  No electrodes or any other devices that are connected to the brain are used.  The tests are completely non-invasive and the patient will simply experience a setting similar to a school classroom.

The testing can be used to assess someone for memory difficulties, dementia's, ADHD, cognitive problems due to neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, epilepsy, brain tumors, brain injuries and much more.  

                                                                             

*Most neuropsychological tests in current use are based on traditional psychometric theory. In this model, a person's individual test score is compared to a large general population's scores ("norms").  Normative studies frequently provide data based on age, level of education, and/or ethnicity, where such factors have been shown by research to affect performance on a particular test. This allows for a person's performance to be compared to a "control group" (group of people similar to the patient in age, education, etc.) and thus provide a fair assessment of their current cognitive function.

Function categories

NPE is useful for measuring many function categories, including:

• Intellectual functioning
• Academic achievement
• Language processing
• Visuospatial processing
• Attention/concentration
• Verbal learning and memory
• Visual learning and memory
• Executive functions
• Speed of processing
• Sensory-perceptual functions
• Motor speed and strength
• Motivation/symptom validity
• Personality assessment

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