Psychometric assessment
Psychometric assessment is designed to achieve a number of purposes, including:
- generating a diagnosis
- providing direction for treatment planning
- assisting in client management
- advancing research efforts
- (in the case of medico-legal assessment) to help advise the court
Information is gathered through methods such as a clinical interview, collateral gained from other persons, psychometric data, formal observations, past medical records and reports from other expert witnesses.
Neuropsychological assessment measures functional changes (cognitive, behavioural, emotional and /or social) due to impairment of specific (organic) brain systems. Normally, neuropsychological assessment is carried out through the administration of neuropsychological tests that have been shown to be sensitive to the effects of brain injury. These changes may be as a result of injuries as far-ranging as a stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, epilepsy, or a brain tumour.
Primary goals of neuropsychological assessment
- To understand the nature of cognitive and behavioural problems produced by any brain injury and how this affects an individual’s functional activities. Only a complete neuropsychological assessment can comprehensively explain the changes and impairments produced in behaviour, emotion, mood, attention, thinking, language, memory, reasoning, executive functioning, calculation, social relationships, etc. The data obtained from a sound neuropsychological assessment is the best guarantee for designing a sound rehabilitation program. There is no other way to understand and explain functional individual changes than through neuropsychological assessment.
- To formulate a better diagnosis that determines the functional nature of an underlying neurological problem.
- To control and monitor functional changes over time as a consequence of neuropsychological rehabilitation or treatments using drugs.
- As a powerful and necessary method utilised to explain changes in an individual in a medico-legal case. It provides important evidence in personal-injury compensation, or in any court action where it is necessary to determine the nature, extent and severity of brain injury.
Who benefits from neuropsychological and psychological testing?
I provide comprehensive personalised neuropsychological and psychological analysis to lawyers, corporations, case managers, insurance providers, schools, healthcare practitioners and other professionals in order for them to make informed decisions on behalf of clients or companies.
The objective and cost-effective services are designed to diagnose, clarify and confirm disability and/or cognitive impairment due to traumatic brain injury, stroke, dementia and other forms of injury to the brain. Evaluations use standardised assessment techniques and instruments to include extensive review of history (employment, education, social), neurological, orthopaedic, and psychiatric records, as well as psychological testing to determine the effects of personality characteristics and stress variables on current legal issues and functioning.
Areas of expertise
This provides an overview, rather than an inclusive list of the kinds of neuropsychological and functional diagnostic assessments that I conduct.
Neuropsychological assessment
- Alzheimer’s disease
- aphasia
- aptitude testing
- attention-deficit / hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
- brain injury
- brain tumours
- concussion
- corporate placement
- dementia
- disability evaluations
- head injury
- IQ (intelligence quotient)
- learning disabilities
- medico-legal assessment
- personal injury
- school readiness
- traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Psychological assessment
- addictions
- aggression
- assertiveness
- anxiety disorders
- behavioural addictions
- child psychology
- child custody
- corporate assessment
- depressive disorders
- eating disorders
- forensic psychology
- marriage problems
- medico-legal assessment
- panic disorder
- personality assessment
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- social anxiety
- stress management
- trauma assessment
For a Neuropsychological assessment contact me to make an appointment.
