Autism isn’t a single condition, but a spectrum with many different potential outcomes. With autism, neuropsychological assessment as early as possible is recommended, because early detection and intervention has been linked to more effective treatment. If you believe your child may be on the autism spectrum, it’s a good idea, therefore, to have them assessed as soon as you can. Here’s what will be involved in an autism neuropsychological assessment for children.
Child’s History
The psychologist will first ask you, the caregiver, about the child’s history. This will be fairly comprehensive, covering things like any other mental health conditions that run in the family, the mother’s health during pregnancy, educational history, and the reason you are seeking the assessment — in other words, what behaviors have you noticed that seem unusual to you?
Cognitive Assessment
The child is then given a series of tests to investigate how well their brain functions in certain domains. The goal of this phase of the autism neuropsychological assessment is not merely to identify the problems that are common with autism – for example, problems with language and vocabulary – but also to rule out other conditions. These assessments are sometimes quite extensive, and they may be conducted over several days.
Observation
In an autism neuropsychological assessment, the child’s behavior – especially their social behavior – will be observed and assessed. This will partly be done by the psychologist in the clinic to see how they deal with unfamiliar situations, and perhaps also in your home to see if this behavior differs when they are in a place in which they feel safe. The psychologist will also ask you or the child’s school teachers about their behavior in other situations.
Dr. Joshua Shifrin is a licensed psychologist specializing in neuropsychological evaluations for children and young adults aged 5-25, for conditions including autism, ADD/ADHD, and learning difficulties. He is based in New Jersey and offers services to New York residents as well. You can also connect them on Facebook for more updates.
