A neuropsychological evaluation typically involves assessment (testing) with a group of standardized tests that are sensitive to the effects of brain dysfunction. Unlike CT or MRI scans which show abnormalities in the structure of the brain, or EEG, which shows electrical abnormalities in the brain, neuropsychological assessment is used to show the ways in which a person can or cannot perform certain functions or tasks that are dependent upon brain activity.
These functions or tasks (for example, memory and learning) form the necessary building blocks of successful living in the individual’s daily life. Impairment in many of these functions may exist because of brain abnormalities that cannot be detected on CT or MRI scans.
Therefore, neuropsychological assessment is a procedure with a unique purpose; it can be used to reveal or diagnose brain dysfunction when no structural brain abnormalities can be seen. Furthermore, when structural abnormalities have been found, neuropsychological assessment provides a way to determine what functions may be impaired because of the structural defects, and to determine what interventions may be available to improve or compensate forthese acquired limitations.
A comprehensive evaluation includes an assessment of the person’s functioning in a number of areas,
such as:
- Attention/ concentration
- Language-related processing
- Learning and memory functions
- Social cognition
- Emotional functioning
- General intellectual abilities
- Visual/nonverbal processing
- Motor/sensory capacities
- Academic achievement skills
- Executive functions, such as organization, planning,
and self regulation