The importance of a comprehensive assessment

The first step in care through our Neuropsychology Program at Boston Children's is a comprehensive assessment, designed to give clinicians an extensive understanding of your child's:

• primary medical or neurological problem
• physical symptoms
• day-to-day behavioral adjustments

Our neuropsychologists gather information while getting to know you and your child as individuals, so that we can deliver the most advanced, effective and compassionate care possible.

The Assessment Process at Boston Children's

• Establish that your child either has, or does not have, damage, dysfunction or a developmental abnormality of the brain caused by such factors as:
  • a brain tumor
  • a seizure disorder, such as epilepsy
  • cerebrovascular disease or stroke
  • congenital or developmental disorders like spina bifida
  • exposure to agents—such as lead—that have been associated with neurological problems
  • a head injury
  • infections of the central nervous system, such as encephalitis or AIDS/HIV.
  • leukemia that has since been treated
  • metabolic encephalopathy, or dysfunction throughout the brain, associated with kidney disease  or liver disease
  • a period of lack of oxygen to the brain, also known as a hypoxic episode
  • premature birth
• Determine the severity of the brain abnormality
• Identify which areas of the child's neurological and behavioral function have been affected by the brain dysfunction, including:
  • academic skills
  • attention
  • auditory (hearing) and visual perception
  • communication, speech and language
  • executive control functions (including organization, reasoning, problem-solving and behavioral regulation)
  • response to outside stimulus
  • sensory abilities
  • social and emotional information-processing abilities
  • verbal and non-verbal memory
  • visual and spatial relations skills
• Diagnose your child with one or a combination of neuropsychological disorders
• Determine the biological or medical cause of the disorder
• Track any changes in your child's functioning over time
• Offer a prognosis for long-term response to treatment

Planning Together

Our team of neuropsychologists collaborates with Boston Children's psychiatrists, social workers, neurologists, neurosurgeons and other health professionals to develop a treatment plan that:

• takes into account the particular circumstances of your child’s condition
• helps your child feel and function better while adapting new coping skills for a happy, fulfilling adult life
• involves you and your family at every stage of care

Our research

Just as we are committed to exemplary patient care, our Neuropsychology Program clinicians at Boston Children's are also engaged in important scientific research with real implications for better identifying, understanding and treating neuropsychological disorders in children and young adults.

Learn more about our researchers (and their areas of focus):