Clinical Services
Adult Neuropsychological Services
Why am I being referred?
Clinical neuropsychology is a specialty field that involves the assessment of brain functions. Neuropsychological evaluations are requested specifically to help your doctors and other professionals understand how different brain systems are working. A typical neuropsychological evaluation will involve assessment of attention/concentration, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, language, perception, motor skills, and emotional functioning. Each assessment is tailored to understanding your particular symptoms in order to characterize your cognitive strengths and weakness.
Who is typically referred for evaluation?
Patients with the following conditions are commonly referred by their treating physician for neuropsychological evaluation: Multiple Sclerosis - Stroke/Cerebrovascular Diseases - Alzheimer's disease - Frontotemporal Dementia/Progressive Aphasias - Other Dementias - Epilepsy - Mild Cognitive Impairment - Brain Tumors - ADHD - Autoimmune Disorders - Traumatic Brain Injury - Substance Use Disorders - Psychiatric Disorders
What should I expect?
A neuropsychological evaluation usually consists of an interview and testing. A feedback session to review the results is scheduled on a second day, typically within 7 to 10 business days of your initial appointment. The interview usually lasts 90 minutes and is followed by testing, which ranges in duration from approximately 3.5 to 5 hours. We offer breaks throughout the evaluation and patient comfort is our priority. If necessary, testing can be scheduled across 2 days.
Can my family attend the appointment?
We encourage family members to attend the interview in order to provide additional information that may be helpful for understanding your history and symptoms. Testing is conducted in a one-on-one format with you and our technician and/or Dr. Sworowski, but family members are welcome to stay in our waiting room or leave the office suite during the test portion of the evaluation.
How will the results be helpful to me?
A report of findings and recommendations will be provided to the doctor who initially referred you for testing. You will also receive a copy of your report. Results will be helpful for clarifying diagnosis and offering treatment recommendations (e.g., medications, compensatory strategies, psychotherapy, rehabilitation therapies, among others). The evaluation findings also establish a baseline of cognitive function to which future comparisons can be made, if necessary.