Psychological and neuropsychological testing can help clarify clinical diagnoses and aid in treatment planning. Clients go through an extensive background interview with the psychologist, complete assessment tasks, answer questions, and fill out questionnaires to aid in diagnosis. After scoring is complete, clients are given a full report outlining results and clinical recommendations.
Psychological Testing
Psychological evaluations involve the administration of standardized tests to measure a person’s cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral functioning. This type of testing can assess a wide variety of referral questions, including:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Developmental Disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
- Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Mood Disorders
- Other clinical diagnoses
Neuropsychological Testing
A neuropsychological evaluation includes all of the elements of a psychological evaluation in addition to tests of auditory and visual memory functioning, attentional abilities, social perception, visuospatial processing, language, and executive function abilities, among others. The psychologist designs an individualized, comprehensive testing battery to most effectively answer the referral question. Neuropsychological evaluations allow for more in-depth examination and is typically recommended when someone is suspected to have:
- Neurocognitive or Neurodevelopmental Disorder
- In-utero exposure to drugs and/or alcohol
- History of severe trauma and neglect in early childhood
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Memory deficits
- Executive function deficits
- Multiple diagnoses that affect the individual’s functioning.