What is neuropsychological assessment, and who needs it?
Neuropsychological assessment looks more specifically at what are called brain/behavior relationships. Common problems include skills like memory or attention being impaired. Or, executive skills may be deficient. Executive functions can include abilities such as organization and planning; getting started or persisting as needed; stopping when appropriate rather than doing something ad nauseam; being able to monitor for, catch and correct mistakes in a timely manner; and problems with emotional control such as having a short fuse. Neuropsychological assessment can be helpful in figuring out such issues, and what may be causing them. Difficulties with executive skills, like those noted above, are probably the largest factor for why some people do so poorly in their daily functioning. That is, they may be very bright, such as kids making good grades. Or, adults may have a higher than average IQ. But, their ability to function in an age- and role appropriate manner, and at a level that is
