What is assessed?

A typical neuropsychological evaluation of a school-age child may assess these areas:
  • General intellectual functioning (IQ)
  • Achievement skills, including reading, writing and math
  • Executive functioning, including organization, planning, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility
  • Attention
  • Information processing
  • Learning and memory (verbal and visual)
  • Language
  • Visual–spatial skills
  • Motor coordination
  • Behavioral, emotional and personality functioning
  • Social skills
Some abilities may be measured in more detail than others, depending on the child’s needs.
 
A detailed developmental history and data from the child’s teacher may also be obtained.
 
Observing your child to understand his or her motivation, cooperation, and behavior is a very important part of the evaluation.
 
Emerging skills can be assessed in very young children. However, the evaluation of infants and preschool children is usually shorter in duration, because the child has not yet developed many skills.

© 2001 Division 40, APA