Neuropsychological Testing for Children

Are you the parent of a small child? Do you think your child has autism? Is your child still struggling to learn to read or having difficulties in other areas of their academic or social life? If you have ever wondered if your child has autism or another learning or sensory disorder, then your child might benefit from neuropsychological testing for children.

But what kind of tests does a neuropsychologist offer, and how can they help you get the help your child needs? Keep reading! This article offers a brief overview of 9 areas that should be evaluated in neuropsychological testing for children.

1. Intelligence Quotient is what most people call IQ. A non-verbal intelligence test may work better if your child has a language-based disorder. The Universal Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence (UNIT) is utilized by numerous psychologists.
2. Current level of academic functioning. It is important to understand what level of academics a child has so that they can be given the appropriate special education services to make progress.
3. Attention and a child’s ability to participate. A neuropsychologist can test the child and see if they have attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
4. Short and Long-term memory.
5. Visual spatial and visual motor skills.
6. Sensory processing disorder. This is often accompanied by other disabilities, such as autism or learning disabilities. Testing for this is done by an occupational therapist who has been trained in this area, and is SIPT qualified.
7. Speech/Language Disorders. The child should have receptive and expressive tests to determine if they have a language or speech disorder. Other areas to be included as well.
8. Social and emotional skills and difficulties.
9. A test that shows whether the child has any learning disabilities. Learning disabilities can occur in these areas: reading, writing, math, spelling, auditory processing, visual processing, etc. To determine whether a child has dyslexia, tests should be in the following areas: phonetic awareness, word-finding ability, phonetic memory, phonetic decoding, rapid naming, and reading nonsense words. Dyslexia isn’t just folding letters; there is difficulty in reading.

When all the tests are completed, the neuropsychologist prepares a report. The report should explain the test results, if any disabilities were found, and a list of recommendations that you can bring to your school, and talk about what special education services your child needs.

To find out about a good neuropsychologist, you can ask your nearest parent, or you can call and talk to any nearest disability organization. A good neuropsychological examination will help your child receive the special education and related services he or she needs and is entitled to under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.