Embedded Files
Clinical Neuropsychology serves people across the entire age and developmental span whenever there are concerns about brain function. This can range from developmental concerns in infants, academic challenges in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, work and social challenges in adulthood and concerns about declining function in old age. Some of the conditions neuropsychologists routinely deal with include developmental disorders like autism, learning and attention disorders, concussion and traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, brain cancer, stroke and dementia.
COVID-19: The implications of the pandemic
In the United States and here in Rhode Island Behavioral health concerns has become major focus as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent research indicates there is currently an urgent need for enhanced behavioral health service capacity as we move into the recovery phase of the pandemic. Anxiety has increased 37% (from 16% in 2019 to 53% in 2020). Depression has increased 9% (from 19% to 28%). Alcohol misuse increased 8% (from 6% to 14%).
Pandemic experiences such as social isolation, working from home, income loss, and children and teens being out of school were reported as important issues in over one third of the population. Those reporting social isolation and effects on personal health have higher levels of anxiety and depression as well as lower quality of life. People with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 report higher alcohol use and lower quality of life overall.
We are seeing issues now directly related to the pandemic and we will see more behavioral health issues for years to come. Without a doubt there are increased rates of addiction, addiction relapse and general substance abuse cases. A subpopulation of people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 now experience “brain fog” which has resulted in problems in cognitive functioning including concentration and memory. This has significant implications for work, school and social functioning. Prior to the pandemic, we had a shortage of mental health professionals. Now that the need has increased due to the impact of the pandemic, the shortage is more dire. Our hope is recent research on the impact of the pandemic raises awareness around the urgency to fund accessible behavioral health services to address both preexisting needs as well the emerging stress and anxiety related to the pandemic.
Common type of patients served include those with
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Traumatic brain injury/concussion
Pre-surgical candidates
Post-surgical candidates
Intellectual disability
ADHD
Specific learning disability
Independent neuropsychological evaluation (INE)
Workers’ compensation evaluation
Evaluation for competency to stand trial and other criminal evaluations
A neuropsychological evaluation is a test to measure how well a person's brain is working. The abilities tested include reading, language usage, attention, learning, processing speed, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, mood, personality and more.
What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
Neuropsychological evaluation is an assessment of how one’s brain functions, which indirectly yields information about the structural and functional integrity of your brain. The neuropsychological evaluation involves an interview and the administration of tests. The tests are typically pencil and paper type tests. Some tasks might be self-reports meaning that they are completed by the patient with assistance from a technician, but the majority of the tests require administration by a neuropsychologist or trained, skilled psychometrist.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHEN SHOULD SOMEONE SEE A NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST?
There are a number of reasons why someone might see or be referred to a neuropsychologist. For example, you may be experiencing mild to severe changes or difficulties in thinking, memory, speech, personality, or other behaviors that interfere with your normal day-to-day routine. These kinds of changes or difficulties can be described as:
Forgetting conversations or losing articles around the house
Having difficulty focusing on a task or being easily distracted
Having changes in ability to make sense of maps, drawings or, what you see around you
Not being able to read as well as in the past or not being able to read what you have written
Thinking thoughts that are not logical, forgetting or not recognizing where you are, or not remembering what day or time it is
Having trouble coming up with the name of a common object, using the wrong word, or having decreased fluency when speaking
Saying things you would not normally say
Having noticeable changes in patience
WHEN IS AN EVALUATION USUALLY RECOMMENDED?
Evaluations have a number of important functions. They can:
Establish a “baseline” or document skills before problems are readily apparent and assist with interpretation of possible changes that may show in future evaluations
Identify problems related to medical conditions that can affect memory and thinking, such as diabetes, metabolic or infectious diseases, or autoimmune disorders
Help differentiate among illnesses that have similar clinical
Help plan treatments that use strengths to compensate for weaknesses
Evaluations are designed to measure patterns of strengths and weaknesses in cognitive processing. Measures include attention, concentration, learning, memory, problem solving, and reasoning.
Other useful applications include: treatment planning for cognitive rehabilitation, evaluation of learning and academic abilities, forensic procedures, and evaluation of vocational abilities.
WHAT HAPPENS AT AN EVALUATION?
We offer comprehensive neuropsychological test batteries to assess, aid in diagnosis, and guide in the treatment of each individual patient. The evaluation involves a number of different tasks—most of which are done sitting at a table. These tasks give us a way of looking at a number of abilities: problem solving, attention, memory, language and motor skills. Evaluations typically extend over a 4-8 hour period, including an interview. Testing is broken up into several shorter tasks so there is plenty of time to stop or take a break. The amount of time required for each test ranges from a couple of minutes to about 15 minutes. Areas evaluated include:
Attention
Executive Function
Language
Sensorimotor Functioning
Visuospatial
Learning and Memory Functioning
Personality or Social-Emotional Functioning
There are no right or wrong answers for any of the test items. What’s important is that you do your best.
It is important to understand that a neuropsychological evaluation is not a “fixed” series of tests that anyone can give. Specialized training allows a clinical neuropsychologist to select, administer, and interpret tests and procedures that will provide the most comprehensive understanding of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Each evaluation is specific to your needs and clinical history.
The comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation also requires your neuropsychologist to review medical records, score the tests, write a report of the evaluation, and spend time with you in order to provide information and feedback from the evaluation.
HOW WILL THE TEST RESULTS BE USED?
The results will be shared with your referring physician in a summary report. Your results will help your doctors understand what problems you may have in everyday life. This will help guide planning for assistance or treatment.
Page updated
Report abuse