| What is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist? Neuropsychology is a specialty within the field of Clinical Psychology that focuses on brain-behavior relationships. A pediatric Neuropsychologist uses standardized tests and clinical observations to define a child’ s pattern of cognitive development. The child’s performance is compared to what is expected at the child’s age- level. The child’s individual pattern of strengths and weaknesses is defined based on this comparison. The pediatric Neuropsychologist uses knowledge of brain development, brain organization, and the effects of various forms of brain injury on development to guide this assessment and to interpret the results. How does Neuropsychological assessment differ from the testing provided by a clinical psychologist or school psychologist? While the pediatric Neuropsychologist and the clinical or school psychologist may use some of the same tests, a pediatric Neuropsychologist differs in the types of tests used and in what they do with the test results. The clinical or school psychologist is primarily interested in the score that the child obtains on tests like measures of IQ and academic achievement. The Neuropsychologist is interested in these areas, but is also interested in how the child obtains a specific test score, the pattern of scores across different tests of neurocognitive function (not commonly assessed by others), and how this may be explained by brain function. Skills are broken down into component parts, attempting to define a pattern of strengths and weaknesses. For example, a child may have difficulty following a direction because he/she did not pay attention to the direction, did not understand the direction, or did not remember the direction. The pediatric Neuropsychologist works to understand where the child is having trouble and why. The pediatric Neuropsychologist may look at a broader range of skills, evaluating skills not usually tested by the clinical or school psychologist. Neuropsychological assessment can help if your child has:
The Neuropsychological assessment and report will provide you with:
Will assessment be covered by my health insurance? Neuropsychological assessment is typically covered under the medical coverage of your insurance plan when your child is referred by a physician. The services from other psychologists are included in your mental health coverage. Neuropsychological assessment is usually covered if testing is being conducted to establish a diagnosis as the basis for medical treatment, to evaluate the functional impact of a medical treatment (baseline testing) or to assist in selecting a treatment. For example, for some children, the use of medication may be the best approach when behavior problems occur, while for other children, the use of a behavior plan or psychotherapy is the best approach. Neuropsychological assessment is usually covered if your child is having learning or behavior problems and has a history of brain injury or has a current medical problem that may be affecting brain development. Many insurance plans will require a letter from your child’s primary physician indicating the medical necessity of the assessment. Medical necessity means that the physician needs the information to help him/her provide the best care for your child. Most insurance plans will deny coverage for assessment used to establish an educational diagnosis (e.g. learning disability). Medical insurance carriers view this as the responsibility of the patient’s school. However, coverage will often be provided if the question prompting testing is the relationship of the academic problem to some other medical problem or medical treatment. What should I tell my child to prepare him/her for Neuropsychological assessment? Children understand that visits to a doctor sometimes involve shots or other discomforts. It is important to reassure your child that no shots or painful procedures will be involved in the visit to the Neuropsychologist. For school aged children, it is appropriate to tell your child that he/she will be doing many different activities. Some activities involve listening and talking while other activities involving looking at things, building things and drawing. The child may also use a computer for some tests. Parents are not typically allowed to be present during testing. Let your child know that you will be close by. Reassure your child that she/he can have breaks as needed For preschool children, you can describe Neuropsychological assessment as playing games involving listening, talking and remembering. Let the child know that the Neuropsychologist will have toys like blocks and puzzles that he/she will get to use. Your preschool child may wish to bring a security object along to the appointment. Try to choose an object that will not be too distracting for the child (e.g. a security blanket or small stuffed animal as opposed to an action figure or toy with many small parts). You can help your child get ready for assessment by making sure that he/she gets a good nights sleep prior to testing. Make sure that you child has eaten so that he/she will not be hungry during testing. Make the assessment day a special day for your child by leaving brothers and/or sisters at home. |
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