Child Neuropsychological Assessment

PSYC

76103

Child Neuropsychological Assessment

This course provides a broad overview of the assessment of the psychological and educational problems encountered by children with learning disabilities. The course will include a comprehensive review of 1) the neuropsychology of learning disabilities, 2) the range and type of tests used to evaluate learning disabilities, and 3) supervised experience evaluating comprehensive psychological assessments. Requirements include assigned readings, in class assessment of a WISC-IV proposal, and a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment.Rationale: The course fulfills the requirement for an advanced testing course. It overlaps with no other course in the department. No course will be dropped to accommodate this offering. It has been taught as an experimental course over a number of semesters and will now be added as a clinical psychology subprogram course fulfilling the requirement to take either a child or adult-focused advanced testing course.Learning Goals/Outcomes: By the end of the semester students should be able to 1) perform a comprehensive evaluation and accurately diagnose problems of learning and attention in the pre-school years through adolescence; 2) be familiar with current neuropsychological and developmental research in learning disabilities and attention; 3) be able to assess the efficacy of a variety of assessment instruments and be able to choose the most appropriate neuropsychological tests for the problem they wish to evaluate; 4) understand the multiple environmental, neuropsychological, and psychological factors that eventuate in a complex symptom picture; and, 5) understand their role as consultant to the parents and the school in implementing recommendations based on their findings.Assessment: Students will be expected to show mastery of the course content in multiple ways; through standard testing geared toward covering the key learning goals, and through clinical experience of administering tests taught during the class with supervision so as to demonstrate beginning level clinical competency. These will be accomplished through: (30%) Three brief in- class quizzes which cover the reading material; (10%) Proper test administration; (10%) In class assessment of WISC IV protocol and suggestions for further testing; (50%) Conduct of a comprehensive integrated psychoeducational assessment.

Offer as needed

Graduate School Graduate

Yes

030893