Seeing a Psychiatrist for a Neuropsychological Evaluation

A psychiatrist can use a neuropsychological evaluation or testing to assess your child’s abilities and skills in relation to brain function. This test can give you a clear idea of what your child is capable of. The recommendations that come after it can help you focus on areas that your child may be struggling with. If you want to know what happens when a psychiatrist performs a neuropsychological evaluation, here are the details.

What a neuropsychological evaluation is

This is neuropsychological testing. It is a thorough test of the child’s brain capacities in areas such as memory and attention. Parents must remember that their child will stay the same after this test. The test will discover areas that the child is having problems with. After the test, the psychiatrist will provide recommendations that can help parents understand the child more. Teaching and health care professionals can gain a complete understanding of the child’s brain functions and capacity.

The purpose

The goal of a neuropsychological evaluation is to find out the child’s weaknesses and strengths in many areas. Good candidates for this evaluation are children who have a diagnosis. The test can clarify the diagnosis. It can also make specific recommendations that can address the child’s needs at school and at home.

The child’s diagnosis can help reach out to providers. This can help provide the services that the child needs. It can assist in reaching the child’s highest potential. Children who had this evaluation before can have a new one. The new results can recommend changes to the child’s treatments. Here are the areas of concern for neuropsychological evaluation:

• Inattentiveness
• Hyperactivity
• Anxiety
• Language disorders
• Depression
• Learning disorders
• Behavior difficulties
• Autism
• Intellectual disability

What happens during the evaluation

The psychiatrist will get to know the child first. The parent will provide information about the child’s history. It is also the time to ask questions about the evaluation. This part of the test will take up to two hours.

Then, the psychiatrist will meet and talk with the child. The child will be alone with the psychiatrist during the test days for two to three days. The length of each day is similar to a school day. The number of hours will depend on the child’s abilities and age. Some evaluations will take a day, while others will be very short.

Classroom observations may be necessary to see the child’s behavior in a classroom. The psychiatrist may look for any social interaction with other children. Seeing if the child can work alone and maintain attention is also part of the evaluation. Observing the child’s behavioral responses to teachers and ability to follow instructions will also take place.

The results of the neuropsychological evaluation will involve meeting with the parent. The school can receive a copy of the results with the parent’s permission. The child may be part of the feedback meeting. A child can join if the level of functioning and age are both appropriate.

Other tests involved

The psychiatrist can adjust the neuropsychological evaluation based on the child’s needs. Testing will include answering questions and verbal responses. Object manipulation is part of the test as well. The child’s drawing, writing, and other tasks involving pencils and papers are also part of the evaluation.