Frequently Asked Questions

What is a neuropsychological examination?

What is a neuropsychologist?

Why have I been referred?

Neuropsychological evaluations are requested specifically to help your doctors, teachers, school psychologist, or other professionals understand how the different areas and systems of the brain are working.  Testing is usually recommended when there are symptoms or complaints involving memory or thinking.  This can be signaled by a change in concentration, organization, reasoning, memory, language, perception, coordination, or personality.  The changes may be due to any of a number of medical, neurological, psychological, or genetic causes.

An evaluation can identify weaknesses in a specific area.  When problems are very mild, testing may be the only way to detect them.  Test results can be used to determine if your problems are the result of normal brain-related changes or if they are associated with a neurological disorder. Testing might also be used to identify problems related to medical conditions that can affect memory and thinking, such as medication effects, diabetes, metabolic or infectious diseases, or alcoholism.  It can also help detect the effects of developmental problems such as epilepsy, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), or genetic disorders.  Sometimes testing is used to establish a "baseline," or document a person's skills before there is any problem (e.g., athletes in contact sports, individuals with MS, etc.).  In this way, later changes can be measured very objectively.

Who should have an evaluation?

What is assessed?

A typical neuropsychological evaluation will involve assessment of the following:

• General intellect
• Achievement skills (e.g., reading, math)
• Higher level executive skills (e.g., organization, planning, reasoning, inhibition, problem solving)
• Attention and concentration
• Learning and memory
• Language
• Visual-spatial skills (e.g., perception)
• Motor and sensory skills
• Mood and personality
• Behavioral functioning and social skills

Some areas may be measured in more detail than others, depending on your needs.

Most health insurance companies will not pay for a neuropsychological evaluation that addresses primarily academic concerns.  However, neuropsychological evaluations are often covered when there is a history of a medical or neurological condition (e.g. brain injury, seizure, loss of consciousness).  Further, many insurance companies will cover some or all of an evaluation that is performed to help physicians to better understand cognitive change (e.g. the reason for decline in memory, attention, or problem solving skills).

Will my insurance company pay for the evaluation?

With the exception of the insurance companies below, all evaluations are fee-for-service. Patients will be provided with all of the necessary information to submit for reimbursement to an insurance company.

Insurance Plans Accepted:

• Medicare
• Workers' Compensation (including IMEs)
• No Fault