A Guide to Neuropsychological Testing for Health Care Professionals

Book excerpt: Neuropsychological assessments are now widely used to identify learning disabilities and shape educational interventions. However, many special education teachers, speech therapists, lawyers, pediatricians, psychiatrists, rehabilitation counselors, and a host of other "helping" professions know very little about how to interpret and act on information contained in neuropsychological assessments. The neuropsychological evaluations discussed in this text help shed light on a wide variety of psychiatric and medical conditions, including learning disabilities, severe and persistent mental illness, traumatic brain injury, neuropsychiatric disorders with accompanying chronic cognitive deficits, and acquired or congenital neurological conditions. This book emphasizes the breadth and depth of neuropsychological assessments and the many practical uses they have, such as treatment planning, diagnosis, interventions, and many more. The authors offer practical guidance on neuropsychological testing and assessment across the lifespan, from pediatric through geriatric patients. The book is designed specifically for those professionals with little to no training in neuropsychology that need to apply knowledge gleaned from neuropsychological assessments. Key topics discussed: Neuropsychological testing and psychoanalysis Using neuropsychological instruments in school settings: possibilities and limitations Using neuropsychological information in vocational rehabilitation planning Neuropsychology and speech/language therapy