NEUROPSYCH EVAL Q&A

WHAT IS IT?

Clinical neuropsychology is a specialty profession that focuses on brain functioning. In clinical neuropsychology, brain functioning is evaluated objectively through neuropsychological testing, which assesses intelligence, academic skills, attention, memory, executive processing, and many other cognitive or thinking skills. Since emotional factors can interfere with cognitive functioning, assessment of emotions, moods, and personality are typically included. A very detailed assessment of abilities is done, and the pattern of strengths and weaknesses is used for making a diagnosis and recommendations for treatment planning.

WHAT IS THE REFERRAL PROCESS?

Referrals can be self-referred or referred by a health professional, case manager, family members, etc. 

We will ONLY ACCEPT referrals submitted on OUR REFERRAL FORM (found on this website). 

Once we receive your thoroughly completed referral, insurance will be verified and a provider will review, approve or reject the referral. In the event that we do not accept your insurance or the provider rejects the referral, you will be contacted, and resources to outside referrals will be suggested. 

Once your referral is approved, it will be placed in a “waitlist” status. We process referrals in the order they were received. We are currently processing referrals received 8-9 months ago. Therefore, once we get to your referral, you will be contacted to ensure you are still interested, that the insurance is the same and an intake packet will be sent to you. Once the packet is completed and returned, you will be placed on “needs to be scheduled” status. 

IS THERE A CANCELLATION LIST? 

If you would like to be on our cancellation list, you should have a flexible schedule, as most often, our cancellations are immediate due to “No show” cancellations. In order to be placed on the list, YOU will need to call our office to request intake paperwork. Once we receive the completed paperwork you will be added to our cancellation list. Intake paperwork for our cancellation list will only be accepted once your referral has been approved.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO THE EVALUATION?

The evaluation is conducted in the following steps:

#1 Initial comprehensive intake interview VIA ZOOM: The initial interview will involve you/your child and any important caregivers in your/their life. At least one parent/caregiver who is familiar with your child’s daily life should be present, although any relevant caregiver or professional involved is invited. During the initial interview, you will have a chance to outline your concerns and provide any important information about you/your child. The extensive history form regarding family, school, peers, medical history, and events in your/your child’s life that you completed as part of the intake packet will also be reviewed. 

For a child: Parents and caregivers will typically be seen first, without your child present, which allows you to provide a description of any problems or concerns you have, and the psychologist will ask additional questions about such concerns and any relevant history. This will be followed by an interview with your child to understand their perspective and to obtain an initial assessment of symptoms and level of development. From these initial interviews, a comprehensive individualized assessment plan is developed to address the referral questions and concerns.

What to have available at the ZOOM intake session:

• Your child; at least one parent or guardian; anyone who can provide relevant information

• Any previous evaluation (Psychological, Neuropsychological, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Neurological, etc.)

• School testing results, IEP records, 504 Plans

• Any other relevant materials (videos of behavior, examples of schoolwork, etc.)

#2 Neurocognitive IN-PERSON Testing: 

A battery of standardized tests will be administered by our trained psychometricians. Mostly, you/your child will be asked to complete a variety of tasks that measure a range of different brain related skills and abilities. The time required depends on the problem being assessed. Generally, six to eight hours are needed to complete the testing. The testing is usually completed in a morning and afternoon session on the same day. 

A set of standardized rating scales and questionnaires will be given. These are required to be completed by the individual being tested and by the parent/guardian who accompanies the child to the testing day.  Questionnaires will also be sent to teacher(s), counselor(s), or other adults who know you/your child well.  These are sometimes extensive, but are an essential part of the evaluation process. Parents and/or guardians are expected to complete questionnaires while your child is being tested. Others, such as teachers and counselors, will receive a link via email that will allow for questionnaires to be completed confidentially online. 

Your child should be encouraged to get a good night’s rest the night before the evaluation and eat a good breakfast before coming in for the appointment. Bring glasses or hearing aids if they are used. Any drinks or food that will make the day comfortable should be brought as well. There will be a number of rest breaks, as well as a  lunch break of up to an hour. 

Medications and the evaluation: If your child is taking medicines to treat ADHD, you will be asked to withhold certain medications until any attention tests are administered. Then the medication can be given by a family member (not OCS staff) before continuing on to the remainder of the test battery. ONLY the following medications should be withheld (not taken) before the long testing appointment, BUT BE SURE TO BRING THE MEDICATIONS WITH YOU TO THE APPOINTMENT. 

ADHD Medications to withhold on the testing day:

*If your child’s stimulant ADHD medication is taken at night please let the psychometrician know at testing whether or not it was taken as prescribed*

#3 Feedback VIA ZOOM regarding the results: 

An appointment to provide feedback on the results will typically be scheduled six to eight weeks after the testing is completed. The neuropsychologist will discuss the results in detail, including any identified strengths and weaknesses found in the testing, as well as any diagnoses and recommended treatments. A comprehensive report will be generated within one to two weeks from the feedback appointment. A copy will be sent to you via email. No data will be available prior to the Feedback appointment.

BEST WAY TO CONTACT US?

Since most of our day is involved in the evaluation process, it is often easier to contact us by email (neuro@ocsmaine.org), which allows us to respond quickly. We check our voicemail several times daily, but it often takes several calling attempts to make contact and speak directly to someone. If you prefer phone contact, we will continue to make the effort to call you back as soon as we are able to.