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Psychological Evaluation

 

Psychological evaluations can be diagnostically helpful to individuals and families in varied ways. Psychological evaluation assesses a person’s emotional status relative to chronic or acute issues. This can assess a individual’s level of copying, stress, interpersonal relationships, reality testing, depression, and anxiety to name a few areas. Moreover psychological assessment can also serve as a level of baseline functioning when a future assessment is anticipated or when improvement is anticipated secondary to treatment.

 

Lastly, the assessment has the potential to help structure subsequent individual psychotherapy so that the therapist has a keener and deeper insight into the person and his/her issues prior to beginning the therapy or in the course of therapy. Differential diagnosis helps those working with the individual (and the person themself) to better understand the diagnostic dilemma, with better understanding as to the appropriate medications for the diagnosis, treatment interventions, and effective forms of assistance.
 

Developmental Evaluations

 

Children are not merely down-sized versions of adults and pediatric neuropsychological assessment requires specific training and expertise. Because many learning disabilities are brain-based, an understanding of the child’s performances across academic, achievement, aptitude, and neuropsychological abilities can provide the most informed set of data. This helps in arriving at an accurate diagnosis and in implementing appropriate treatment strategies and interventions.

 

Developmental Evaluations can help in early interventions and provide supplemental evaluation of children/toddlers who are at risk or for whom there are questions regarding developmental attainment.

 

Psychoeducational, Learning Disabilities & Giftedness Evaluations

 

Successful school performance requires analysis of a child’s strengths and weaknesses. There may be undiagnosed problems that are getting in the way of your child not doing better in school. A data-based identification of attention deficits, learning disability, underchallanged giftedness and other issues can assist you in providing the right tools for the success of your child. Parents have a specially mandated right to explore the possibility of a learning disability for their child. When there is a statistically significant discrepancy between measures of intellectual and academic performance, the diagnosis of a learning disability may be appropriate, along with relevant compensations and accommodations for the child in the academic/school arena. This can be an important component of a individualized education plan or other school-based assessment process. Dr. Eijsermans will work with your respective school or district to assure accurate and informative testing results.

 

Behavioral & Psychosocial Evaluations

 

Behaviors have a wide range in typical development of children. However, at times behaviors can interfere socially, academically and even with development itself. Behavioral and psychosocial assessment provides evaluation of the behavior(s) within the perspective of the child's development across environments of school, home and social settings. Behavioral and psychosocial evaluations can be helpful for individual knowledge and growth in therapy, as well as providing useful psychoeducation to the family for strategies with the behavior to better support the individual struggling with the behavior. Schools and pediatricians can often also benefit from this information to provide a consistent strategy for support of the individual to overcome problematic behaviors.

 

Neuropsychological Evaluations

 

A neuropsychological evaluation is an analysis of brain-behavior relationships. Typically the examination involves approximately seven hours of time with the test-taker plus interpretation and report preparation. The neuropsychologist will interpret a wide variety of standardized tests designed to assess and measure different areas of neurobehavioral/neurocognitive functioning.

 

There are various types of examinations and the exam is usually determined by the problems the patient presents or by the referral question(s). An examination involves many hours of direct contact with the test-taker, interpretation of the testing data and report preparation. Often times, a follow-up appointment is scheduled with the individual and/or family to review the data and outline specific treatment recommendations.

 

 A neuropsychological evaluation:

  • represents the standard for identifying cognitive impairments resulting from brain changes

  • can be especially sensitive to subtle brain changes often missed by standard CT, MRI or neurological examinations.

  • provides information as to the legitimacy of the person’s complaints and concerns or competing hypothesis.

  • assesses deterioration, resolution, or stabilization through repeated assessments.

  • can be helpful in determining if an individual is able to return to work, school, or previous level of functioning.

  • provides information as to person’s current and future remediation or therapeutic needs.

 

A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation can involve the detailed examination of the following functions:

  • Sensory Perceptual Functioning

  • Motor/Visual Motor Functioning

  • Spatial Abilities

  • Attention and Concentration

  • Language Functioning

  • Memory Functioning (Verbal and Visual-Spatial)

  • Intellectual/Higher Integrative Functioning

  • Academic Abilities

  • Personality Functioning

  • Effort/Malingering

 

What are some other reasons for a referral?

The following list (which is not all encompassing) provides some examples of diagnostic questions presented for assessment:

  • Determine changes in neuropsychological status post treatment or permanency of deficits.

  • Rule out a dementia (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, Pics disease, etc.)

  • Identify functional evidence of an organic component to current psychological presentation and vice-versa.

  • Identify functional evidence of ADD with our without hyperactivity, as well as learning disability.

  • Rule out mental retardation.

  • Delineate the nature and extent of neuropsychological problems resulting from injury or medical issue

 

Dementia Evaluations

 

As we mature, we all tend to lose certain areas of functioning along with our peers and gain in other areas of functioning. Evaluation of dementia or early Alzheimer’s must take into consideration the differences between normal aging versus a more troublesome memory loss. Assessment also needs to consider and rule out the effects of depression or other issues that may falsely appear as a dementia. Treatment planning, need for memory enhancing medication, or other recommendations can result from such an accurate assessment. Go to the Alzheimer’s Association websitewww.alz.org and see the 10 warning signs of dementia.

 

Competency Assessments

 

Elder abuse can take varied forms. Oftentimes, older individuals can be victim to malicious intent of a predatory person and be subject to undue influence, persuasion, or other malevolent motives. It is often an advocate, conservator, family member, guardian ad litem, or attorney who seeks a professional opinion.

 

Assessment of older adults with suspected diminished cognition requires databased assessment to speak to one's ability to live independently on one extreme, versus the need for conservatorship on the other. The contributing condition(s) may represent acute or transient loss of abilities or be permanent or progressive. The report will detail data-based opinions to speak to capacity, consent, or competency and offer recommendations as it applies to the specific client and issues.

Assessments

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