The pressure for primary care physicians (PCPs) to prescribe psychotropic medications is increasing. The state-of-the-science indicates that the combination of psychological and medication treatments often results in greater improvement in patient symptoms compared to either treatment alone. We also conduct specialized assessments to help clarify the need for medication and whether a patient’s current medication is effective.Ī significant portion of persons with developmental and mental health problems require both psychological and medication treatments. Cognitive impairments related to stroke, dementia, traumatic brain injury, etc.Emotional, behavioral, and social problems associated with medical conditions.From this broad approach, we routinely conduct the assessments to diagnose the following concerns: This is the basis of good differential diagnosis. Thus, our diagnostic assessments are individually tailored to answer two primary questions: "What is it?" and "What isn’t it?" as it relates to diagnosis. That is, we understand that adults with neurodevelopmental disorders often have many additional symptoms and impairments that result in multiple diagnoses. We take a broad and thorough approach to neurodevelopmental disorders. We take very seriously the privilege and responsibility of helping you, and we hope that you will find your process with us to be valuable and informative. We are proud that our diagnostic evaluation process is based upon the most scientifically-sound practices. Our diagnostic assessment process is well-aligned with major professionals’ groups. The good news is that although difficult, accurate diagnosis can be achieved and can lay the foundation for improving your life!The goal of any diagnostic process should be to facilitate the development of appropriate and effective treatments to improve a person’s life. Understanding any neurodevelopmental or mental health disorder is often a confusing and difficult task. Thus, we include several appointments in the evaluation process so that we get a more valid overall picture of how a patient typically functions in his/her everyday life. We all have good and bad days and would certainly not want an entire diagnostic impression to be based upon one day. This means that we do not simply collect information at one appointment. Lastly, we utilize a multi-time series approach.By gathering information from multiple sources, we can ensure that we get the most accurate picture of a patient’s functioning. The multi-informant process means that we gather information from all important sources in a patient’s life, such as parents/caregivers, teachers, physicians and other professionals.The use of multiple types of assessment methods allows us to arrive at the most valid diagnoses by not relying on only one type of assessment. The multi-method component means that we gather information through several different methods including but not limited to clinical observation, clinical interviews, collection of standardized rating forms, administration of standardized psychological tests, and review of records. We utilize a multi-method, multi-informant, multi-time series approach for all of our assessments. We are proud to employ the most rigorous and scientifically-sound assessment methods in all of our evaluations. Once all testing is completed, the patient will schedule a review with the clinician to discuss the findings (e.g., individual’s strengths and weaknesses), recommendations and make plans for treatment, if necessary. Neuropsychological assessments are also useful in documenting any problems that may require supports and accommodations in work and school settings. In short, the more we know about a patient’s brain functioning, the better we are able to arrive at diagnostic conclusions and develop effective treatment plans. The goal of a neuropsychological evaluation is to identify any deficits in major areas of brain functioning including attention, memory, language, motor, and executive abilities, as well as aid in differential diagnosis and treatment planning. significant premature birth very low birth weight lack of oxygen exposures to cigarettes, alcohol, prescription medications, or alcohol during pregnancy) that could have resulted in brain damage or injury. Many times, we conduct neuropsychological assessments when there is a history of significant prenatal or delivery complications (e.g. head injury, concussion) or brain disease (e.g. For example, a neuropsychological assessment is often indicated when a person is suspected of having a brain injury (e.g. Neuropsychological assessments are very useful when a patient has a complicated history and presentation.
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