Neuropsychological Evaluation vs. School Evaluation

The primary job of a child is to “learn.” When a child fails to acquire academic skills, this failure may mean the presence of subtle brain dysfunction of a developmental nature. Additionally, a child who has medically-complex conditions (e.g., epilepsy, traumatic brain injury) is at risk for experiencing learning disorders. The goal of a neuropsychological evaluation is to identify brain-related dysfunction so that academic and behavioral interventions can be implemented in order to maximize a child’s benefit from school.

School-based evaluations are typically limited in scope, focusing only on academic skills, due to organizational constraints. Additionally, school psychologists do not generally give diagnoses because their role is to determine educational needs. For some children with learning problems, the typical school-based evaluation is sufficient to identify learning problems and make appropriate treatment recommendations. However, some children do not benefit significantly from common educational strategies. In these instances, a more detailed neuropsychological evaluation is warranted to help better understand the child’s learning disorder. Additionally, if a child’s learning problem is the consequence of a documented neurological disease or condition, then teachers need to know how to modify and adapt the child’s instructional program with special educational strategies and methods. Neuropsychological assessments offer extensive, comprehensive analysis of brain functioning which can provide useful information to determine a child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, provide diagnoses, and develop appropriate treatment/ intervention plans.

Jillian C. Schneider, Ph.D.
Licensed Pediatric Neuropsychologist