Is It Time? Deciding Whether to Move Forward With Neuropsychological Testing

If you’re searching for answers about attention, learning, or emotional struggles for yourself or your child, you may be wondering whether neuropsychological testing is the right next step. Here’s how to think through that decision, and what neuropsychological evaluation can actually offer.

Beyond neurotransmitters and gray matter, how does your brain actually work? Maybe you have a knack for numbers, maybe it’s always been easy for you to devour books, or maybe you’ve always had to work twice as hard as anyone else in the room just to keep up. At a high level, neuropsychological testing benefits anyone, because it’s information about how your brain works so you can take the best care of yourself or a loved one. Self-knowledge is a valid and empowering reason to explore testing.

How does your brain take in information, process it, and make it available to share with others? Learning concerns are one of the most common reasons families set up an initial intake call. If your child is coming home every day with incomplete work, or sitting down to look at homework is just endless frustration, why is that? What is getting in the way?

Your child went to bed knowing their math facts, but then failed the test. How come? Or, your child is a voracious learner, but also takes two hours to write a simple sentence. The reasons can be many-layered and complex, from learning differences to attention issues to emotional concerns. If academics are a source of stress or negatively affecting self-confidence, neuropsychological testing can give insight into why, and also identify your child’s strength areas to build on.

Many people who struggle with learning or self-regulation have learned to cope, up to a point, sometimes at significant emotional expense. Without support, the extra effort and energy that goes into managing school, socializing, or a workday can be exhausting. Dealing with never-ending and inconsistent demands leads to irritability, isolation, and burnout. Many clients come to us scrambling for relief, but what’s at the bottom of it? If you, or your household, are struggling with overwhelm and anxiety, if every day is an ordeal, that is a great reason to explore neuropsychological testing.

There are times when testing isn’t recommended. Situations involving active, debilitating substance abuse or acute mental health decompensation usually require stabilization before accurate testing can be done. Cases involving very limited language are something we look at closely to ensure the testing protocols align with the client’s needs. Also, if a recent evaluation has already been completed elsewhere, some tests cannot be re-administered within a certain timeframe, so a delay might be appropriate.

In intakes, I’m often asked whether the presenting issues being shared meet the level of needing an evaluation. The answer is that not every concern meets the criteria for a diagnosis. But most often, families have been quietly observing and doing what they can to intervene, and if the concern has risen to the point that neuropsychological evaluation is being explored, that usually indicates evaluation would be helpful and informative.

Comprehensive neuropsychological testing at The Stixrud Group emphasizes seeing you as a whole person: a learner, a friend, part of your family and communities, a person with strengths and interests, joys and sorrows. We want you to know all of those parts of yourself, and how your brain works best.