Are you being referred for
psychological or neurocognitive testing?
Many patients are referred to my office for "testing." Here is more information:
NEUROCOGNITIVE TESTING (also called "neuropsychological testing") is used when a patient may have a disorder that affects their brain function in some way; for example, dementia, concussion, or stroke. Other common concerns include learning disorders, spectrum, ADHD, autoimmune disorders, and seizures. The primary goal is to find out if there are any difficulties you’re having with thinking skills, such as memory, concentration and attention, spatial relations, finding words, or having difficulties managing your job. Information from "testing" is used to improve the accuracy of our diagnosis and help formulate the very best treatment plan that you should have as an individual. At times, this type of testing is used before certain surgical procedures, or in legal arenas such as before returning to work or in settling a legal claim.
In Cognitive Testing, you will be given a series of different types of tests or tasks. None of them hurt, and they all are done sitting at a table. You might work with blocks or puzzles, or maybe learn a list of words. But there are so many different types of tasks you will do, it is hard to describe them all. Mostly, they’re kind of fun or at least not uncomfortable, but a few are boring and a few may be harder. It takes several hours (most of a day) to do a “full” battery, usually between 5 and 6 hours. This is often shortened for older patients or those with physical limitations.
When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by the testing technician or psychologist who will work with you throughout all of the tests. They’ll explain the directions and you will have breaks/lunch during the day. You are welcome to have a cup of coffee or whatever drink you might like with you, as well as snacks.
Because psychological factors, like depression or anxiety, can impact how you perform on cognitive tests, you will likely also have Psychological Testing to assist me with looking at all of the factors that affect your brain function.
You don't need to bring anything with you. Everything will be provided. The most important thing is to just rest and eat a good breakfast, and know that when the day is over, it would be a good night to relax because you'll be a little tired from concentrating all day. Most people enjoy parts of testing, especially if you're a person that likes puzzles or games.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING is used to see if there are any emotional or psychological factors that may be affecting you, and to help clarify the diagnosis and assist with a treatment plan. It can be used for many reasons, for example, before a surgery, for legal uses, or sometimes before medications are given.
In Psychological Testing, the technician or psychologist will make sure you understand what to do, but for the most part, you’ll simply be completing question-and-answer forms on your own. This process can take between 2 and 3 hours. Again, you are welcome to bring a drink or snack, and you can have breaks as often as you need. There aren’t any perfect answers, so there is no need to spend time worrying if you’ve been asked to do psychological testing. It’s really more just to help the psychologist look at you from an objective standpoint, instead of just their observations. Do answer the questions honestly, because you don’t want to have to re-do them.
NEUROCOGNITIVE TESTING (also called "neuropsychological testing") is used when a patient may have a disorder that affects their brain function in some way; for example, dementia, concussion, or stroke. Other common concerns include learning disorders, spectrum, ADHD, autoimmune disorders, and seizures. The primary goal is to find out if there are any difficulties you’re having with thinking skills, such as memory, concentration and attention, spatial relations, finding words, or having difficulties managing your job. Information from "testing" is used to improve the accuracy of our diagnosis and help formulate the very best treatment plan that you should have as an individual. At times, this type of testing is used before certain surgical procedures, or in legal arenas such as before returning to work or in settling a legal claim.
In Cognitive Testing, you will be given a series of different types of tests or tasks. None of them hurt, and they all are done sitting at a table. You might work with blocks or puzzles, or maybe learn a list of words. But there are so many different types of tasks you will do, it is hard to describe them all. Mostly, they’re kind of fun or at least not uncomfortable, but a few are boring and a few may be harder. It takes several hours (most of a day) to do a “full” battery, usually between 5 and 6 hours. This is often shortened for older patients or those with physical limitations.
When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by the testing technician or psychologist who will work with you throughout all of the tests. They’ll explain the directions and you will have breaks/lunch during the day. You are welcome to have a cup of coffee or whatever drink you might like with you, as well as snacks.
Because psychological factors, like depression or anxiety, can impact how you perform on cognitive tests, you will likely also have Psychological Testing to assist me with looking at all of the factors that affect your brain function.
You don't need to bring anything with you. Everything will be provided. The most important thing is to just rest and eat a good breakfast, and know that when the day is over, it would be a good night to relax because you'll be a little tired from concentrating all day. Most people enjoy parts of testing, especially if you're a person that likes puzzles or games.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING is used to see if there are any emotional or psychological factors that may be affecting you, and to help clarify the diagnosis and assist with a treatment plan. It can be used for many reasons, for example, before a surgery, for legal uses, or sometimes before medications are given.
In Psychological Testing, the technician or psychologist will make sure you understand what to do, but for the most part, you’ll simply be completing question-and-answer forms on your own. This process can take between 2 and 3 hours. Again, you are welcome to bring a drink or snack, and you can have breaks as often as you need. There aren’t any perfect answers, so there is no need to spend time worrying if you’ve been asked to do psychological testing. It’s really more just to help the psychologist look at you from an objective standpoint, instead of just their observations. Do answer the questions honestly, because you don’t want to have to re-do them.
