Neuropsychological evaluations are comprehensive assessments of a person's cognitive (thinking), emotional, and behavioral functioning.  During these evaluations, I will be considering numerous factors that may be contributing to your current difficulties (e.g., medical, neurological, and psychiatric conditions, medication effects, psychosocial stressors, and cultural and environmental factors).  

The purpose of a neuropsychological evaluation is to look at the above factors, diagnose as appropriate, and provide treatment recommendations to the patient, family, and treatment team (e.g., neurologist, primary care physician, psychiatrist, therapist, etc.).  

Neuropsychological evaluations may assess the following:

• General intellectual abilities

• Academic achievement

• Attention & processing speed

• Language abilities

• Visuospatial/perceptual abilities

• Learning & memory

• Executive functioning abilities (i.e., higher-order thinking skills)

• Personality & emotional functioning

• Motor & sensory functioning

Fortunately, my evaluations do not involve any needles or brain scans.  My evaluation and tests involve you answering questions, performing a variety of paper-pencil tasks, and answering questionnaires with the goal of taking your brain out for a test drive, so to speak.  My tests are not pass/fail, and we all have strengths and weaknesses.  My goal is to get a sense of how your brain is working and hopefully point you in the direction for helpful next steps. 

These evaluations are particularly helpful to address concerns that may sound like:

• "I'm worried about my parent.. their memory seems to be getting worse.  They are open to getting their symptoms assessed, but where do we start?"

• "I played sports in my youth and took some shots to the head.  It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but I'm now wondering if they might be affecting me in ways that I'm not aware of or would not have expected.  Can an evaluation help me get some answers?"

• "As I've gotten older, I've noticed that I tend to forget more often.  My friends say the same happens to them.  How do I know if my forgetfulness is 'normal' and similar to what others experience?"

• "My spouse seems unlike themselves.. it's like their personality has completely changed and I'm worried about them.  They are open to seeing a professional as long as I come with them.."

• "I had a stroke/cardiac event/brain injury, etc. and seem to still be having some difficulties.  What are my strengths and weaknesses in the aftermath, and is there anything that might help me function better?"

• "I haven't seemed to bounce back since my cancer treatment - is 'chemo-brain' the only explanation?"

• "Life is not always easy, and I've found myself turning to alcohol and sometimes other substances to help me cope.  I'm wondering if an evaluation might help me better understand how my past habits and behaviors are shaping some of the ways in which I function now.  Could there be more than just 'stress' affecting me?"

How to prepare

• Please be on time.  If you are more than 20 minutes late, your appointment may be forfeited.

• Get a good night's sleep the night before the evaluation

• Take all medications as prescribed

• Gather documents to bring to the evaluation (e.g., reports from any previous psychological or neuropsychological evaluations, most recent neurology and primary care notes, current medications, results of CT/MRI/PET scans of the brain)

• Eat breakfast or a light snack the morning of the evaluation

• Identify a person who will come with you to the appointment- someone who knows you well (ask me about this if you're unsure)

The typical evaluation

Generally I will begin the appointment with a clinical interview with the patient, and when possible, their family member.  Following the interview, the bulk of the time is spent in one-on-one testing.  We will break for lunch and resume testing after lunch.  

In some cases, preliminary test results may be available at the end of the evaluation day.  When this is not possible or preferred, we will schedule a follow-up appointment to go over test results and recommendations within 7-10 business days after the evaluation.  

You and your referring agency (e.g., your primary care physician) will receive a formal report via email/snail mail/fax free of charge following the evaluation.  You are responsible for saving a copy of the report; at any future date, you may request an additional copy at your own expense.

Length of evaluation

• In general, plan on the evaluation consisting of a full morning, a lunch break, and a portion of the afternoon after the lunch break.  The length may vary depending on the patient's specific needs, complexity, and the referral question.  

• A typical comprehensive evaluation is about 6-8 hours for adults and 4-6 hours for older adults.

• Feedback appointments are typically 40-60 minutes.

What to bring

• Glasses, hearing aids, and any other assistive devices

• Any doses of medications you may need during the course of our evaluation

• Current list of all medications you are taking

• Reports from previous neuropsychological or psychological evaluations

• A sack lunch or make arrangements to eat at a nearby restaurant (at your own expense)

Neuropsychology is a specialty field within psychology that is particularly interested in brain-behavior relationships.  Neuropsychologists are clinical psychologists with formalized training in this subspecialty including specific coursework and clinical experiences in graduate school and two additional years in a postdoctoral fellowship program.