Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. In some cases, a child or adolescent may struggle in a certain area, making school and other activities more difficult. In other cases, a medical condition and/or its treatment affects cognition, or one’s ability to learn and process information.

We integrate detailed neuropsychological data with medical, educational, and psychosocial information to create a profile of strengths and weaknesses that our patients, their care providers, their families, and their educators can use to direct and promote growth. Please read our FAQ page if you have questions about what is involved in clinical assessment.

What Is neuropsychology?

Pediatric neuropsychology is a professional specialty concerned with learning and behavior in relationship to a child’s brain. A pediatric neuropsychologist is a licensed psychologist with expertise in how learning and behavior are associated with the development of brain structures and systems.

What Is Pediatric Neuropsychology?

Pediatric neuropsychology is a professional specialty concerned with learning and behavior in relationship to a child’s brain. A pediatric neuropsychologist is a licensed psychologist with expertise in how learning and behavior are associated with the development of brain structures and systems. Formal testing of abilities such as memory and language skills assesses brain functioning. The pediatric neuropsychologist conducts the evaluation, interprets the test results, and makes recommendations.

Why Is Neuropsychology Important?

Neuropsychological assessment can help when learning, attention, or behavior problems occur with medical problems that impact brain development, or when there is a sudden or unexplained change in a child’s functioning.

What Will the Results Tell Me About My Child?

By comparing your child’s test scores to scores of children of similar ages, the neuropsychologist can create a profile of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. The results help those involved in your child’s care in a number of ways.

 

• Testing can explain why your child is having school problems. For example, a child may have difficulty reading because of an attention problem, a language disorder, an auditory processing problem, or a reading disability. Testing also guides the pediatric neuropsychologist’s design of interventions to draw upon your child’s strengths. The results identify what skills to work on, as well as which strategies to use to help your child.
• Testing can help detect the effects of developmental, neurological, and medical problems, such as epilepsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, or a  genetic disorder. Testing may be done to obtain a baseline against which to measure the outcome of treatment or the child’s development over time.
• Different childhood disorders result in specific patterns of strengths and weaknesses. These profiles of abilities can help identify a child’s disorder and the brain areas that are involved. For example, testing can help differentiate between an attention deficit and depression or determine whether a language delay is due to a problem in producing speech, understanding or expressing language, social shyness, autism, or cognitive delay. Your neuropsychologist may work with your physician to combine results from medical tests, such as brain imaging or blood tests, to diagnose your child’s problem.
• Most importantly, testing provides a better understanding of the child’s behavior and learning in school, at home, and in the community. The evaluation can guide teachers, therapists, and you to better help your child achieve his or her potential.