Testing

Our evaluations often utilize psychological and neuropsychological testing to develop a detailed understanding of the problems with which the patient is presenting. Testing usually involves working one-on-one with a member of our staff on a variety of different tasks addressing:

• academic/pre-academic achievement
• intellectual functioning
• adaptive skills
• language and language-related processes
• attention and concentration capacities
• learning and memory skills
• visual processing
• planning and organizational skills
• motor skills
• personality and behavior
• social-emotional functioning

We select specialized tests to target specific questions about the patient. In other words, patients who are 7 years old and may have a learning disability will receive very different tests from those who are 70 years old and concerned about memory problems. Using specialized testing helps us to do a number of things:

• Develop a better understanding of the patient and their needs
• Outline a profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses
• Make accurate and complete diagnoses
• Identify areas for improvement
• Help obtain services (e.g., disability, health impairment, etc.)
• Track changes and progress over time
• Evaluate treatment effectiveness

Testing can last anywhere from one to several hours. Sometimes we divide the testing into multiple appointments. The results are reviewed and summarized in a report, along with other important medical information. The report typically contains recommendations and a treatment plan. Our goal is to develop a plan tailored to the patient's needs.