Neuropsychology Assessments
We provide in-house Neuropsychology Assessments for children and teenagers between the ages of 2.5 years – 17 years. Neuropsychology Assessments are detailed tests looking at a child’s strengths, and challenges in areas such as information processing, memory, reasoning, attention, problem-solving, verbal and non-verbal intelligence. They provide a comprehensive understanding of a child’s thinking skills. In addition, assessments also look at a child’s social abilities and emotional needs in order to understand the best way to support them.
‘Cognitive’ is a term used in psychology to describe anything related to thinking, learning, and understanding and the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge. Cognitive skills or processes refer to different aspects of the way in which the brain works, for example, remembering information, learning new things, processing daily information, and paying attention. All individuals vary in their cognitive performance, and understanding this can be instrumental in helping a child or young person thrive to the best of their abilities. Any child over the age of 2.5 years can benefit from a full neuropsychology assessment exploring cognitive, behavioural, and emotional functioning.
Why Might My Child Benefit from a Neuropsychology Assessment?
There are many different reasons why a family may choose to seek a Neuropsychology Assessment; we have included some examples below:
- You do not have any main concerns, but want understand your child’s general cognitive profile and how best to support them at home and in their academic journey
- To identify strengths and to support any areas of challenge; early intervention can be key
- To help those around your child, such as school, understand your child further, and how they can best support them
- If you have any general learning, social or behavioural concerns about your child
- If your child has an ADHD diagnosis and you want to assess how this impacts their cognitive processes and learning
- If your child has a diagnosis of Autism and you want to assess how this impacts their cognitive processes and learning
- If your child has a diagnosed medical condition, such as Epilepsy and you want to assess how this impacts their cognitive processes and learning
- You want to submit the report as part of your child’s EHCP application
- If you want to assess whether your child has a global intellectual disability or a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia)
The Assessment Process
Once we have booked in a date and time, we will arrange for various forms to be filled in, as well as gain your consent to contact your child’s school to learn more about how your child manages in the school environment and any associated strengths and challenges within school.
2-3 days before the assessment date, our Clinical Psychologist will telephone you to discuss more about your child ahead of the assessment in-clinic.
On the day of the assessment, you will bring your child to the clinic to meet with the Clinical Psychologist in person. We do not carry out these assessments via Zoom. The assessment will take approximately 2-4 hours and will include your child completing a series of different tasks with the Psychologist, who will make the process as fun and relaxed as possible. Children tend to really enjoy the assessments. We never set an exact timeframe for the assessment, as we ensure it is unique for each child. Some children require more breaks than others and we work on an individual basis.
We recommend that parents are not present in the room during the assessment itself as most children work better when unaccompanied. You are of course welcome to stay on site the whole time in the waiting area, or if your child is of any age where they are happy to be left, you may leave (please stay local), and we can give you a call as to when to return.
A feedback session will be provided after the assessment; this will not be on the day, as it will take time to collate and score all the information.
A formal report will then be shared with parents detailing how your child scored on each of the tests. This will be sent within 21 working days. These results are calculated by comparing how your child performed with how you would expect a child of their age to do. There will also be a summary of all findings and a list of recommendations. We advise families to share the reports with their child’s school and GP.
The Difference Between an Educational Psychology Assessment and a Neuropsychology Assessment
We provide both Educational Psychology Assessments and Neuropsychology Assessments within our clinic and appreciate that it can be confusing to know which one is most suitable for your child. Although there are many crossovers between the two, there are also some vast differences and while both types of assessments provide valuable insights, they serve different purposes and require different approaches.
- A Neuropsychology Assessment is provided by a Clinical Psychologist with training in neuropsychology, whereas an Educational Psychology Assessment is provided by an Educational Psychologist.
- An Educational Psychology Assessment mainly focuses on how a person learns, what factors might be influencing their learning, and what strategies can be employed to enhance their educational experience.
- Neuropsychology Assessments help in addressing academic challenges in the same way that an Educational Psychology Assessment would, but also focus on social and emotional development, executive functioning, attention and promoting overall well-being. They are a longer more in-depth, more holistic assessment.
- Our Educational Psychology Assessments are suitable for those aged 7 and over, whereas our Neuropsychology Assessments are suitable for those as young as 2.5 years.
- An Educational Assessment can diagnose a Specific Learning Difficulty; a Neuropsychology Assessment can also diagnose Specific Learning Difficulties, as well as a Global Intellectual Disability.
In summary, an Educational Psychology Assessment will mainly focus on academic skills; evaluating proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, and other school-related subjects. It will look at learning styles, identifying preferred methods and environments for learning and examine general behaviours that might impact learning, such as attention issues or social interactions.
A Neuropsychology Assessment will look at IQ and measure general intellectual ability, but will also look at memory, assessing short-term and long-term memory capacity, executive function skills such as planning, organisation, and flexibility. It will test the ability to focus and sustain attention over time and assess language skills looking at both receptive and expressive language abilities.
Pricing
The price for the Neuropsychology Assessment including the written report is £1595. This includes an initial telephone call from the Psychologist prior to the assessment, the feedback session and a detailed formal report.
Neuropsychology Assessments are provided by our HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist, Dr Alex Kimber, registration: PYL37754