Évaluation neuropsychologique d'un enfant : la cause, le diagnostic, les traitements des troubles
Évaluation neuropsychologique d'enfants d'âge pré-scolaire ou primaire; adolescents, difficultés académiques, troubles d'apprentissage, dysfonctions, symptomes
CENOP can help with the following diagnoses :
EVALUATION
What is neuropsychology?
Pediatric neuropsychology is a professional specialty that focuses on the relationships between the developing brain, behaviour and learning.
What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
In a neuropsychological evaluation, a series tests are used to assess a child’s intellectual, social and
emotional development as well as his or her academic achievement.
Such an assessment can help determine whether intellectual or cognitive skills are intact or if a disability is present.
Why get a neuropsychological evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation can help
- determine the cause of certain dysfunctions that can affect thoughts, behaviour and/or learning
- establish a diagnosis
- determine the child’s personality type and his/her particular learning profile, determine individual strengths and weaknesses and identify the child’s specific need
- prevent and detect problems early, assess the benefits of a medication and follow-up
At the CENOP, we do neuropsychological evaluations for:
- children of pre-school or primary school age
- adolescents, high school level
- young adults with academic difficulties
or for specific situations:
- school derogation
- intellectual profile
- psycho-legal expertise
At the CENOP, we work in collaboration with:
- Health care settings and personnel
- School psychologists, speech and language pathologists, teachers and resource specialists
- Medical doctors (child psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists)
- Various associations that help and support children with difficulties and their parents (AQETA, AQEA, AQST…)
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Initial contact to make an appointment, by telephone
- Interview and assessment sessions that take up to 6 hours (on two separate visits)
- Various questionnaires to be filled by the parents
- A detailed written report, with the results of the evaluation, conclusions and recommendations
- A final meeting with the parents, lasting 1:30 to 2 hours (2 to 4 weeks after the second assessment session) to go over the results, conclusions and recommendations presented in the report.
The evaluation process
During the initial phone conversation with our clinical services coordinator, we will give you the appointment dates, information about the fees and explain the following steps to you in detail:
- School report cards
- Spelling workbooks, writing samples from schoolwork
- Previous reports from professionals (if there are any)
- A picture of the child
- A snack for the child
On the first visit, the neuropsychologist will determine the objectives of the evaluation (with parents or legal tutors) and gather information about the child’s history. Following this initial discussion, the neuropsychologist will ask the child to perform some tests, tasks and activities to begin the assessment process.
Duration of the first appointment: 3 hours
Between the first 2 appointments, the neuropsychologist corrects the tests and makes a preliminary analysis to determine what tests to administer on the next visit.
Time needed to correct the tests, do the analysis and prepare the next testing session: 2-4 hours
- the questionnaires filled out by both parents
- the questionnaires filled out by the teachers
- a snack for the child
During the second session, the neuropsychologist will continue the assessment with the child to refine the diagnosis. We will try to determine the best ways to support and help the child, depending on his or her needs and capabilities.
Duration of the second appointment: 3 hours
Following those 2 appointments, the neuropsychologist will correct the tests, analyze the results and establish a diagnosis. He or she will then write a comprehensive report to explain the results and diagnosis and make recommendations. The report is intended to be used as a tool by the parents and the professionals that will be working with the child. This part of the assessment process sometimes require that we communicate with other professionals already working with the child so that we can determine what type of services or support can be offered in the child’s current school setting; we will need to ask for your written authorization to do this.
Time needed to correct the tests, perform the analysis and write the report with the recommendations:
4-6 hours
On the last appointment, the neuropsychologist will take the time to explain to the parents what challenges their child may face and what are the support measures that can be put in place to help him or her. This is also an opportunity for the parents to ask all the questions that they may have regarding the diagnosis, the recommendations or the follow-up needed for their child.
Duration of the last appointment: 1:30 to 2 hours
The full assessment process, including the time needed to write the report and to explain the results to the parents on the last appointment takes, on average, between 15 and 18 hours. The process from start to finish can take 4 to 6 weeks, leaving enough time for the neuropsychologist to be able to contact the other professionals involved with the child.
What can come from the results of a neuropsychological assessment?
- Allow for a better understanding of the child’s reactions, Identify the nature or the cause of the child’s difficulties at school, at home or socially.
- Provide tools and resources to help the child and the parents
- Develop strategies to improve the skills or diminish the deficits, to better orient learning and pedagogical interventions
- Help establish an individual intervention plan, adapted to the child’s needs and specificity
- Guide teachers, therapists and others professionals to help the child reach his or her full potential
- Bring hope and self-confidence to the child
- Improve relationships within the family, with friends or at school
For an evaluation, contact CENOP (514) 858-6484 or cenopfl@cenopfl.com