Brief Description of Services
 

 

Common Terms Used in Pediatric Neuropsychology

  • Learning Disability
  • A broad-based term suggesting that there is a deficit in an academic or social skill area that significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living.
  • Non-Verbal Learning Disability
  • A learning "profile" that includes at least a moderate degree of difficulty processing holistic, visual-spatial information, as opposed to language-based information. Oftentimes there is a significant difference between verbal and performance intelligence scores, in favor of the verbal abilities. Difficulties with inferential reasoning are common, as the NVLD individual has trouble integrating parts into a "whole." Processing is "piecemeal." Difficulties in accommodating to novel materials and situations may also occur. Memory for nonverbal material is poor if not readily coded in a verbal fashion. Individuals with this syndrome typically have some social difficulties, as well. Internalized forms of psychopathology often occur including excessive anxiety and depression.
  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-Disorder
  • A pattern of behavior in which the individual has significant difficulty sustaining attention beyond "normal" limits. Some individuals with this disability exhibit excessive activity levels and/or impulsivity. At least some of these symptoms must have been present before the age of 7.
  • Asperger's Syndrome
  • A syndrome characterized by severe and sustained impairment in reciprocal social interaction, and a restricted, repetitive pattern of activities and behavior. Formal language skills are intact, while social-pragmatic language is "stiff" and lacks the give-and-take of normally interactive communication.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • The result of a sudden assault on the head, causing damage to the brain. Damage can be focal (confined to a discrete area of the brain) or diffuse (involving multiple areas of the brain). TBI can result from a closed head injury (skull is not broken) or a penetrating head injury (object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue). The severity of a traumatic brain injury can range from a mild concussion to the extremes of coma and death. Symptoms and prognosis vary widely, depending upon the locus (loci) and severity of the brain injury.
  • Epilepsy
  • A brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. This can result in atypical sensations, emotions and behavior. There are multiple types of epilepsy, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments. A neuropsychological evaluation can be useful to identify cognitive and emotional deficits that may occur with, or result from these recurrent, abnormal, brain activities.
  • Pediatric Depression
  • More common than you think! Recent estimates suggest that 2% of prepubertal children and 5-8% of adolescents experience depression. In children and adolescents frequent symptoms of this prolonged period of "sadness" include changes in eating habits, insomnia or hypersomnia, irritability, loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, apathy, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, self-criticism, excessive or inappropriate guilt, difficulties with concentration, academic or social difficulties and recent thoughts of death and suicide. A neuropsychological evaluation is important to "rule out" learning disabilities and other neurologically-based difficulties as potential co-morbid or contributory issues.
  • Anxiety
  • Anxiety disorders involve excessive, unrealistic worry or distress. Common childhood anxieties include separation anxiety disorder (excessive distress when separated from persons with whom there is a strong attachment; avoidance of situations that require separation), generalized anxiety disorder (excessive concern with competence and performance), and specific phobias (irrational fears of situations or objects). Anxiety disorders may adversely impact on social relationships and one's ability to concentrate, and may cause sleep disturbances and physical discomfort (e.g., panic, stomachaches, headaches, feeling faint).
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • A pattern of rituals and obsessive thinking that generally lasts more than an hour each day, causes a child distress, and interferes with daily activities. An estimated 2% of children experience OCD, but children often keep the symptoms hidden because they are embarrassed about them.  Obsessions are persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as intrusive and that cause marked anxiety or distress.  Compulsions are repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, checking) or mental acts (e.g., counting, praying, repeating words silently), performed to alleviate anxiety or stress. 
  • Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
  • A mood disorder characterized by extreme changes in mood, energy, thinking and behavior. Classically, the mania phase is characterized by persistent states of extreme elation or agitation and high energy. The depressive phase is characterized by persistent states of extreme sadness or irritability and low energy. In children, it is common to have ongoing, continuous mood disturbances that are "mixed" manic and depressive phases. This rapid and severe cycling between moods produces chronic irritability and few clear periods of wellness between episodes. Behavior may include: expansive, irritable mood, extreme sadness, explosive, angry and often destructive rages, separation anxiety, defiance of authority, hyperactivity, distractibility, insomnia or hypersomnia, night terrors, strong and frequent cravings - often for carbohydrates and sweets, impaired judgment, pressured speech, and involvement in "risky" behaviors.
  • Pediatric Language Disorders
  • Receptive: Difficulties understanding spoken words and ideas. Central Auditory Processing Screening can evaluate the integrity of those abilities needed to process and derive meaning from phonemes (linguistic sounds) and words, including the abilities to distinguish between similar sounding phonemes, and to be able to process language in a noisy background.
    Expressive: Difficulties putting thoughts into words, and sequencing ideas in language. Word-finding difficulties and difficulties with language fluency (normal flow of language) may also be issues that interfere with language expression. Social/pragmatic language refers to the "give and take" of social communication. Impairments in this aspect of language functioning may signal or promote social difficulties. Articulation refers to clarity of speech production.

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