Neuropsychology Program

The Neuropsychology Program at the Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute helps patients cope with issues of learning, memory, organization and emotional control resulting from brain injuries or neurological disorders.

What is a neuropsychological evaluation?

A neuropsychological evaluation is a customized assessment that provides insight into the neurocognitive (brain) mechanism and brain functioning that underlies the area of concern.

A neuropsychological evaluation can help to:

• Monitor medication-related congnitive difficulties (e.g. antiseizure, radiation, chemotherapy)
• Determine if medication dosages need to be adjusted (e.g. ADHD medication)
• Assess neurocognitive functioning after a head injury (i.e. concussion or TBI)
• Assess baseline functioning prior to new medications, brain surgery or cranial radiation
• Establish baseline functioning prior to sport participation to allow for timely intervention and treatment following sport concussions
• Identify exceptional learners with learning difficulties
• Identify areas of challenge to assist with treatment programming

A neurospychological evaluation is specifically customized to best anwer your specific concerns and typically takes between five to seven hours, depeding on assessment needs and will test the following:

• Intellectual functioning (IQ, reasoning skills, problem solving)
• Motor functioning (manual dexterity, strength and coordination)
• Auditory processing (understanding and response to heard information)
• Speech and language (understanding and effective use of oral and written language)
• Attention and executive functioning
• Learning and memory (verbal and nonverbal learning and memory)
• Academic functioning (reading, writing and math)
• Psychological, emotional and social functioning

Steps of the Neuropsychology Evaulation

• Intake: Initial session with the child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to discuss any medical conditions or presenting issues.
• Testing: Your child will undergo a series of tests to determine his/her performance. Your child may have as little as two testing sessions or as many as five sessions. Each testing session takes two to three hours. Authorizations are required for each session.
• Feedback: Post testing session where the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) discuss the results and final report with the neuropsychologist.
• Follow-up: Session for the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) that is offered to discuss any updates or changes seen with your child.