Within the field of psychology, is neuropsychology, which studies the relationship between brain function, and the interplay of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. Neuropsychological assessment is often useful in evaluating children in academic settings by gathering and analyzing academic and neurocognitive functioning in order to better understand their strengths as well as areas where they are not achieving ideal performance. Psychological assessment and neuropsychological testing can offer a roadmap to best navigate and improve your child’s academic, social, and emotional needs by understanding the ways in which they think, act, and cope. For instance, students may qualify for individualized academic or testing accommodations based on test findings, which allows the individual to demonstrate their best and true capacity. Additionally, questions and concerns about the possible impact of prior athletic concussion or mild head injury can be addressed through neuropsychological testing in order to direct neurocognitive rehabilitation and retraining and to assist in optimizing personal achievements.
Assessment evaluations are also designed to assess an individual’s areas of neurocognitive strength, including easily overlooked or non-traditional abilities, including frontal lobe functioning. Executive functioning originates in the frontal lobe and represents a person’s ability to plan, organize, complete tasks, and monitor or self-regulate behavior in order to reach goals. It also includes impulse control and conceptually applying problem-solving skills, all of which are part of “higher order” cognitive skills. Performance across executive functioning tasks may reveal unidentified differences in learning and functioning that become barriers to success. To illustrate this point, for example, absence seizures are brief, sudden lapses in attention that can look like inattention often seen in ADHD, despite its medical and neurological basis. Further, neuropsychological testing can identify splinter strengths. For example, verbal intelligence can be a strength while non-verbal intelligence can be an underdiagnosed area of weakness, often referred to as a non-verbal learning disability (NVLD). NVLD often conceptualized as dysfunction in social abilities, motor skills, fluid reasoning, inferential thinking, mathematics, and visuospatial/organizational skills, and may be undetected throughout school years. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment can confirm or rule-out various contributing factors regarding current functioning and abilities, and help to identify both barriers to success and tools to optimize functioning.
In addition to assessing for neurocognitive functioning, there is also a scientifically supported treatment to aid in cognitive and emotional enhancement. Do you or someone you know struggle with focusing, controlling thoughts, or regulating mood? Neurofeedback is a mental health tool and brain training method that helps to regulate the brain and assist with enhancing cognitive performance. Complex brain systems learn from experiences and require feedback; by receiving feedback, the brain is better able to self-organize and self-improve. This safe and effective method can help individuals learn how to rebalance by quieting brainwaves related to low performance, or increasing brainwaves related to optimal brain function. Take time this summer to enhance your brain and your mind.