Key Things In Neuropsychological Assessment New York Doctors Consider

By Essie Osborn


A neuropsychological assessment is normally done to try and measure the ability of an individual to carry out various mental functions such as concentrating on things or remembering things. It is more of a brain scan just like how the CT scan or MRI is done since it involves obtaining the picture of the brain. The difference, however, comes in the type of picture taken since in neuropsychological assessment it is an image of what the brain can do. After a neuropsychological assessment New York psychologists are able to advise their patients on the way forward.

The assessment program will involve different tasks in most cases. The main aim of this is to try and get more definite results before a conclusion is made. Some doctors use computer programs in their evaluation while others simply use a pen and paper. All in all, it does not matter because the objective is normally the same. The patient will then be guided on how to go about with the tasks given. For example, a list of words may be read out and the task in this case will be to try and remember them.

Simple tasks are the ones which will be given first as they progress to more difficult ones. This is done until it reaches a point where one cannot continue. From here now the doctor is able to gauge the mental functioning of the individual.

It is common for individuals not to perform their best the first time they do something. This is therefore taken into account when the assessment is being done. Assessors may ask the patient to go at various tasks more than one time while trying to measure the same thing. This is to mean that memory will be measured by more than one task. A more accurate and reliable outcome is therefore likely to be generated by doing so.

Some neuropsychological assessments take a considerable amount of time to finish, may be more than four hours. Nevertheless, at the end of it all, it will help your doctor in finding out how your brain damage is affecting your abilities. This is in relation to reasoning, concentrating, solving problems or even remembering.

The specialists involved in undertaking these assessments in most cases are psychologists who have undergone some special kind of training. This therefore means that not every doctor can do the assessment. Because of this fact, you need to check on the specific area of practice that your doctor is specialized in.

The doctor may advise on whether a treatment program should be taken or a rehabilitation program depending with the results of the assessment. However, before even the assessment is done, the doctor will check on some conditions which make the evaluation necessary. For example, there are diseases which can make the brain to suffer some damages. These include diseases like; Stroke, Alzheimer, AIDS, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Brain Tumor and Parkinson disease.

Sometimes the doctor can advise one to take the assessment when they have suffered some serious brain damage. Some of the things that can lead to this include; exposure to pollution, chemicals and poison. Also, there are things like drug abuse and alcohol abuse that can affect how the brain functions.




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