What is a neuropsychological assessment?
Neuropsychological assessments generally involve completing a series of tasks to determine how your attention, memory and thinking skills compare to others your age. The tasks that are completed help to build a profile of your memory and thinking to work out your personal strengths and weaknesses. I can then interpret your results to clarify a diagnosis or cause for your symptoms, identify areas that need support, and make suggestions for strategies to help you move forward. You will also receive a report to summarise your findings and recommendations.
What can I expect?
Neuropsychological assessments generally involve:
- An interview to gather your personal history and current concerns
- Neuropsychological testing (usually split over two sessions on the same day, or two different days if required)
- A feedback session to communicate all of your results and recommendations
- Receiving a comprehensive neuropsychological report (sent to you and your referrers in most circumstances) and usually a summary report, to help you understand your results in plain language
How long does it take?
The interview and neuropsychology assessment generally takes between 4 and 5 hours to complete, allowing for a few breaks during the day. It requires this long because you will do a range of tasks in order to get a comprehensive picture of your current thinking and memory skills across a variety of areas (see below). You have the option to complete the assessment in one day, or to split the sessions over two days.
What sorts of assessments will I complete?
The exact mix of assessments that you complete will depend on your individual circumstances and the purpose of your assessment. However, for most people, assessments will provide a thorough investigation of areas of thinking and memory including:
- Attention (concentration)
- Memory for information that you hear and see
- Speed of processing
- Language
- Visual and visuospatial skills (how you work with pictures, puzzles and judge distances, etc.)
- Decision-making (if relevant)
- Executive function skills, such as problem solving, planning, ‘multi-tasking’, judgement, etc.
How much will it cost?
Medicare unfortunately does not rebate neuropsychological assessments. Some private health funds will rebate a portion of your assessment costs, depending on your particular fund. Fees for neuropsychological assessment will vary depending on your individual circumstances, for instance, whether you are self-referring for assessment or whether your assessment will be funded by a third party or organisation. Fees will be discussed with you when you make contact, or when a referral is submitted.
Will I receive feedback?
Absolutely. When your assessment has been scored and your report is ready, I will make a time with you to come in and discuss your individual results and recommendations. This usually takes around an hour, and can be delivered via telehealth if needed.