Neuropsychological Report Writing – From Emptiness to Closure and the Last Word

By Ernest Beilstein

Neuropsychology report writing involves a lot of preparation, as compared to other conventional report writing methods. Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology that involves studying the relationship between the functions of the brain and other psychological processes such as thinking, paying attention and reacting. Neuropsychology relates to cognitive science and other mental functions such as language ability and memory.

As a neuropsychologist, you will be involved in evaluation of neuropsychological disorders, scientific research on neurology, assessment of individuals suffering from neurological disorders and finally, management of neuropsychological scans and tests. Before writing a neuropsychological report, it is necessary that you carry out all the relevant tests, before finally producing a report.

Neuropsychological tests differ from patient to patient but some of the procedures of evaluation are common regardless of the neuropsychological disorder that the patient is suffering from. Some of the common neuropsychological disorders start at childhood and these include learning disabilities, autism and memory loss. A neuropsychological evaluation is therefore advisable for a child experiencing some of these symptoms.

The first step in neuropsychological testing involves determining the Intelligence Quotient of the patient. This usually entails offering the patient verbal or non-verbal tests, depending on the major symptoms that the patient is exhibiting. Non-verbal intelligence tests are usually common on children with language-based problems. After determining the Intelligence Quotient of the child, the neuropsychologist will be able to know the exact academic abilities of the patient. Adult Intelligence Quotient tests are usually verbal or written and they normally test memory rather than language problems.

Most neuropsychological problems that children suffer from include hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder. If unchecked, this may go on into adulthood, until it reaches a stage where is becomes somehow irreversible. It is therefore wise for you as a neuropsychologist to test for any symptoms of these disorders, before it reaches a dangerous stage.

Neuropsychological tests such as testing sensory processing disorders incorporate the services of an occupational therapist that has enough training in this area. You should ensure that you have perfect interpersonal skills to assist you in obtaining relevant information from other professionals, during the testing period. Other neuropsychological tests include testing short-term and long-term memory span, visual ability, visual motor skills and color blindness. Determining speech and language disorders involves carrying out receptive or expressive on the patient. The therapist may also carry out tests on social and emotional skills of the patient.

Producing your first neuropsychological report may be a difficult task. To ensure that you are not stuck even before you start, you may consider looking at older reports from experienced neuropsychologists. There is nothing as embarrassing as failing to produce a report after carrying out a successful test. If you were an intern, it would be far worse for you not to produce a report showing your scientific research and test.

Neuropsychological report writing starts after the successful completion of testing. You are supposed to write a comprehensive report on the findings of the evaluation and testing process. The report should include an educated evaluation of the testing process, a reliable interpretation of test results, any disorders found, noticed disabilities and last but not least, a list of recommendations. The recommendations may include admission into a rehabilitation center or advice in relation to seeking special education. A good test report will ensure that the patient seeks medical help in due time.

A Neuropsychological report should focus on the possible causes of these psychological disorders. It should try to point out the main observations as regards to the patients under evaluation. Possible solutions should also be included in the report, preferably as part of the recommendations. As a good neuropsychologist, you should ensure that you jot down every observation during the testing process. This will assist you to keep track of the testing and help you when it comes to producing the final report. However, you will be surprised that you as a neuropsychologist will also experience writer’s block.

Writer’s block is a temporary experience that renders you as a writer helpless in the sense that you run out of writing ideas. Writer’s block affects all forms of writing, whether you write on a daily basis or just an occasional writer. This may be very dangerous, for you might end up writing irrelevant information or worse, not even writing the report at all. The good news is that there is a solution to this, which is readily available.