Neuropsychological Assessment In Clinical Child Psychology

What are the advantages - and limitations - of assessing child development from a neuropsychological perspective? Can a better understanding of neuropsychological development in children assist those entering specialized education and supervised training in clinical-child neuropsychology?This engagi.

Neuropsychological Evaluation of the Child: Domains, Methods, and Case Studies, Second Edition, is an updated and expanded desk reference that retains the first edition's organizational structure, strong practical focus, and lifespan developmental perspective. It is a unique compilation of published and unpublished pediatric neuropsychological test normative data that contains extensive discussion of assessment methods and case formulation. Added for the first time are instructive clinical case vignettes that explicate brain-behavior relationships in youth, from preschool-age through adolescence. These cases illustrate immediate and late effects that result from common and rare medical diseases and psychological disorders, and highlight key issues that arise when examining a child's maturational trajectory and brain-behavioral relationships using convergence profile analysis. Part I, Child Neuropsychology: Current Status, contains four introductory chapters regarding definitions, education and training, and professional roles; reasons for referral; typical and atypical brain development; and clinical practice considerations. In Part II, Clinical Issues, discussion covers the procedural steps of neuropsychological assessment, behavioral assessment techniques, observational data, and oral and written communication of results. These chapters are followed in Part III, Domains and Tests, by extended coverage of topics and tests related to the major neuropsychological domains: intelligence, executive function, attention and processing speed, language, motor and sensory-perceptual function, visuoperceptual, visuospatial and visuoconstructional function, and learning and memory. A final chapter addresses deception in childhood, reasons why a child might reduce effort and invalidate assessment, and the use of performance validity tests, symptom validity tests, and embedded validity indicators to assess noncredible effort. Each of the 16 chapters includes definitions, theoretical concepts, models, and assessment techniques that are essential knowledge for clinical and research pediatric neuropsychologists.

Written by leading clinicians and research experts in the fields of child development and psychopathology, this book is an authoritative and up to date guide for psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians and other professionals working with vulnerable children. The opening chapters outline neurobiological, genetic, familial and cultural influences upon child development, especially those fostering children's resilience and emotional wellbeing. Discussion of the acquisition of social and emotional developmental competencies leads on to reviews of child psychopathology, clinical diagnoses, assessment and intervention. Developed with busy professionals and trainees in mind, it is comprehensively yet concisely written, using visual aids to help the reader absorb information rapidly and easily. This book is an essential purchase for those working or training in all clinical and community child settings.

The past decade has brought important advances in our understanding of the brain, particularly its influence on the behavior, emotions, and personality of children and adolescents. In the tradition of its predecessors, the third edition of the Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology enhances this understanding by emphasizing current best practice, up-to-date science, and emerging theoretical trends for a comprehensive review of the field. Along with the Handbook’s impressive coverage of normal development, pathology, and professional issues, brand-new chapters highlight critical topics in assessment, diagnostic, and treatment, including, The role and prevalence of brain dysfunction in ADHD, conduct disorder, the autistic spectrum, and other childhood disorders; The neuropsychology of learning disabilities; Assessment of Spanish-speaking children and youth; Using the PASS (planning, attention, simultaneous, successive) theory in neurological assessment; Forensic child neuropsychology; Interventions for pediatric coma. With singular range, timeliness, and clarity, the newly updated Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology reflects and addresses the ongoing concerns of practitioners as diverse as neuropsychologists, neurologists, clinical psychologists, pediatricians, and physical and speech-language therapists.

Neuropsychology has its roots in clinical neurology. Reading case de scriptions by 19th century neurologists, such as Wernicke's painstakingly detailed examinations of patients with the "aphasic symptom-complex," makes it obvious that neuropsychology is not a new discipline. Even the marriage with psychology is not new; the neurologist Arnold Pick, for example, was fully conversant with the developments in contemporary psychological as well as linguistic research. However, the primary focus of 19th and early 20th century psychology was on "general psychology," and only a small number of psychologists ventured into what then was called "differential psychology" (the psychology of individual dif ferences) including a few who became attached to neurological research and rehabilitation units after World War I. It remained until World War II for psychologists to establish a more solid working relationship with neurology. What psychology had to offer to neurology was its experimental skill, the development of a sophisticated methodology, and, for clinical work, the development of psychometrics. On the whole, the marriage between the two disciplines has been fruitful, leading to new insights, models, and discoveries about brain-behavior relationships, documented in several textbooks which appeared in rapid succession since the 1960s. In clinical practice, neuropsychology has been inventive in some respects, in others merely introducing psychometric rigor to already existing neurological examinations. As described in greater detail in this book, developmental neuropsy chology is of even more recent origin.

Clinical neuropsychology for infants and young children is an emerging field that contains as much promise as it does perplexing practical and theoretical questions. Infant and Early Childhood Neuropsychology is a groundbreaking study that provides an assessment framework and diagnostic clues for clinicians and researchers, as well as the first documentation and description of this new field for students. The clearly written text translates neuroanatomic issues into clinical applications for professionals charged with making neuropsychological assessments of infants and young children.

During the past decade, significant advances have been made in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders, resulting in a considerable impact on conceptualization, diagnostics, and practice. The second edition of Child Neuropsychology: Assessment and Interventions for Neurodevelopmental Disorders brings readers up to speed clearly and authoritatively, offering the latest information on neuroimaging technologies, individual disorders, and effective treatment of children and adolescents. Starting with the basics of clinical child neuropsychology and functional anatomy, the authors present a transactional framework for assessment, diagnosis, and intervention. The book carefully links structure and function—and behavioral and biological science—for a more nuanced understanding of brain development and of pathologies as varied as pervasive developmental disorders, learning disabilities, neuromotor dysfunction, seizure disorders, and childhood cancers. This volume features a range of salient features valuable to students as well as novice and seasoned practitioners alike, including: Overview chapters that discuss the effects of biogenic and environmental factors on neurological functioning. New emphasis on multicultural/cross-cultural aspects of neuropsychology and assessment. Brand new chapters on interpretation, neuropsychological assessment process, and report writing. An integrative model of neurological, neuroradiological, and psychological assessment and diagnosis. Balanced coverage of behavioral, pharmacological, and educational approaches to treatment. Case studies illustrating typical and distinctive presentations and successful diagnosis, treatment planning, and intervention. Important practice updates, including the new HIPAA regulations. Child Neuropsychology, 2nd Edition, is vital reading for school, clinical child, and counseling psychologists as well as neuropsychologists. The book also provides rich background and practical material for graduate students entering these fields.

Advances in Clinical Child Psychology is a serial publication designed to bring together original summaries of the most important new develop ments in the field of clinical psychology and its related disciplines. Each chapter is written by a key figure in an innovative area of research or by an individual who is particularly well qualified to comment on a topic of major contemporary importance. These chapters provide convenient, concise explorations of empirical and clinical advances in the field. The chapter topics are chosen by the editors and are based on sug gestions by the advisory editors, unsolicited suggestions provided by colleagues, and from all of our reading of the latest published empirical and theoretical works. As such, it reflects our collective perception of the trends that are leading the field of clinical child psychology. Those trends are clearly evident in Volume 9. Two chapters describe the cur rent state of the art of intellectual and neuropsychological measurement. Two chapters discuss the classification and origins of the two types of attention deficit disorders. And one chapter focuses on the developmen tal importance of adolescence in child and family dysfunctions. But the overwhelming theme of this volume is the relationship between biolog ical and psychological variables. In choosing these chapters, we believe that we are merely reflecting the changing nature of research in the field.

Clinical neuropsychology for infants and young children is an emerging field that contains as much promise as it does perplexing practical and theoretical questions. Infant and Early Childhood Neuropsychology is a groundbreaking study that provides an assessment framework and diagnostic clues for clinicians and researchers, as well as the first documentation and description of this new field for students. The clearly written text translates neuroanatomic issues into clinical applications for professionals charged with making neuropsychological assessments of infants and young children.

Based on the most up-to-date research, Child Neuropsychology is a thorough and accessible guide to the key concepts and basic processes central to neuropsychological assessment and child evaluation. Essays by leading experts in the field cover basic neuropsychological functions and related disorders in the context of brain development. Divided into three parts, the text begins with clear definitions of the concepts and methodology of brain development in child neuropsychology. Part two examines normal and abnormal functional development. The final part considers professional practice and provides valuable insights into the special problems of neuropsychological assessment of infants and children in clinical and educational settings.