1. Neuropsychological Evaluations: An Integral Part of Your Child’s Success
Lisa G. Hahn, Ph.D., ABPP
Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist
Neuropsychology Associates of New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey

2. What is Neuropsychology?
Clinical specialty in the neuroscience field
Refers to the study of brain-behavior relationships
Influenced by the following disciplines:
Neurology
Psychology
Anatomy

3. What is a Clinical Neuropsychologist?
Training Involves
Doctoral training in psychology
Commonly clinical psychology or neuropsychology programs
Specialized coursework associated with brain-behavior relationships
Two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship
Additional training with specialized populations
Medical
Psychiatric

4. What is a Clinical Neuropsychologist?
Proficiency
Expertise in how behavior and skills are related to brain structures and systems
Clarify relationship between disease state and behavioral consequence
How does brain dysfunction relate to every day life and one’s ability to interact with others, learn, function in their world in a meaningful manner

5. What is a Clinical Neuropsychologist?
Role
Diagnose Psychological, Cognitive, Learning, and Emotional Conditions
Provide information to assist differential diagnosis of medical and psychological/psychiatric conditions
Identify cognitive problems associated with neurological or psychological conditions
Monitor progression or response to treatment
Develop treatment and intervention strategies

6. What is a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
Objective testing of skills that correlate with brain function using:
Standardized psychometric instruments used to evaluate multiple aspects of normal cognition
Objective assessment of emotional/psychological functioning
Integration of
objective test data
subjective input from parents
qualitative information from the Neuropsychologist such a clinical observations

7. What does the appointment entail?
It is typically a full day evaluation
The evaluation includes:
Clinical interview of the parents and child
Review of medical, school, and previous testing records, if available
Neuropsychological testing of the child
Completion of questionnaires that assess behavioral, emotional and psychological functioning
Preliminary feedback of diagnostic findings and recommendations
Feedback is provided after the report is received and reviewed

8. Who Refers to a Neuropsychologist?
Parents
General practitioners or pediatricians
Medical specialists (e.g., neurologists, oncologists)
Psychologists, therapists or social workers
School Counselors
Child Study Teams
Attorneys or advocates

9. What are common referral questions posed to a Neuropsychologist?
General ability or rate of growth
Learning and memory
Academic achievement
Language acquisition
Social development
Fine motor development
Emotional development
Chronic or acute medical problems
Family issues
Attention and behavior

10. What is the Purpose of the Referral and Evaluation?
Clarification
To better understand the child’s neurobehavioral profile in the presence of an academic, social or emotional issue or medical condition.
Prevention and Monitoring
To gain a baseline and follow-up evaluation for future
Intervention
To aid in developing a plan to assist individuals with known or suspected cognitive or emotional problems

11. What are the domains assessed?
New Learning & Memory
Speech
Language
Sensorimotor
Visual-spatial and perceptual skills
Intelligence
Attention
Academic achievement
Executive function
Mood
Personality

12. What diagnoses are elucidated from a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation can help differentiate or confirm diagnoses such as
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Executive Dysfunction
Learning Disorders
Learning/Memory Disorders
Fine-Motor Disorders
Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Thought Disorders

13. What is a Psycho-Educational Evaluation?
This typically includes tests of
Intellectual Functioning
Academic Achievement
Parent self-report questionnaires
It does not include comprehensive assessment of additional neurocognitive domains
It does not include comprehensive assessment that can result in any diagnosis with the exception of
Learning Disorder
Developmental Disability (i.e., Mental Retardation)
Intellectual Functioning – WISC or WAIS
Academic Achievement – usually a Woodcock or WIAT

14. Why Not Have My District Complete a Psycho-Educational Evaluation?
By law District does not need to provide this evaluation until your child is doing very poorly in school (i.e., there is a significant problem with their achievement) or their behavioral problems are clearly interfering with their learning
For many children by this stage they have developed low self-esteem, feel inefficacious, are failing academically, and may even be negatively labeled by their teachers or peers
The evaluation is very limited in scope, unlike a neuropsychological evaluation

15. The Common Question: Why So Much Testing?
The brain is a complex organ that encompasses many neural networks and functional abilities
It is important to conduct a broad based assessment
When we leave no stone unturned then we can be more positive the diagnosis is accurate
Often parents are familiar with a psycho-educational evaluation (usually 2 maybe 3 hours) and expect the neuropsychological evaluation to be a similar process. However, the brain is a complex organ that encompasses many neural networks and functional abilities. It is important to conduct a broad based assessment. Our evaluation is comprehensive and we leave no stone unturned. As a result we can be positive the diagnosis is accurate. How does one know a child has ADHD if the evaluator (school psychologist, pediatrician, psychiatrist) only spends a brief period of time with the child and does not gather actual objective data about executive function? Typically a parent will fill out a self-report questionnaire or the school psychologist only administers the WISC/WAIS. But executive function is a very broad area of functioning. Our testing is always comprehensive to rule out and rule in any potential diagnoses.

16. The Final Result: An Integrative Report
Results of standardized testing are integrated into a broader understanding of the individual’s neurobehavioral pattern
Summary of previous evaluations/treatments
Behavioral observations
Test results
Integrative summary of findings placed in the context of medical, developmental and psychosocial history
Diagnostic formulation
Recommendations for intervention and remediation
The report is typically anywhere from 6 to 20 pages in length depending on the complexity of the individual’s background, number of previous evaluations, and number of diagnoses.

17. Possible Recommendations
Medical
Consultation with another specialist
Therapeutic Support
Cognitive restructuring
ADHD coach
Psychological counseling or therapy
Educational
Special education services
Classroom accommodations
Advocacy
Out of district placement
Transition planning for after high school

18. Beyond the Final Product of the Report
My goal is always to advocate for the child’s best interests
When a parent is working with an advocate or attorney, I too become part of their team
I am available to participate in Child Study Team meetings to help explain the neuropsychological evaluation findings
I work as a liaison to assist the parents/family in finding appropriate community services or school placement
I provide follow-up testing to assess efficacy of interventions (i.e., medication, academic programs, etc.)

19. Neuropsychology Associates of New Jersey
How to contact me:
Neuropsychology Associates of New Jersey
Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologists
250 Madison Avenue
Suite 200
Morristown, New Jersey 07960