Welcome to NT. I am also sorry for your reason for being here. But this is the place for you to be.

I disagree with the previous posters about the neuro-psych assessment. At this point in time, a neuro-psych assessment is going to be used to determine if, when, and how you can return to work. This is its purpose. If you ask for and get too many accommodations (quiet, etc), you will skew the results. You are not undergoing this assessment to achieve your best. You want to show how you function in a normal situation at the present time.

I have had three Neuro-psych assessments. The first was for Workers Comp. The NP Ph.D. did not understand my struggles with noise and visual distractions so instead, he used my comments to my detriment. He was being paid by the Work Comp carrier so he took every opportunity to bias his report against me.

The second was done by Social Security Disability. He did a relatively good job but was limited in scope due to SSDI limitations. Unfortunately, his report that I was seriously unable to work was denied due to an error at the SSDI state office.

The third was done in preparation for an appeal of the SSDI denial. The NP Psy.D. resident had a very quiet and sterile testing environment that skewed the results somewhat. Very few work places are quiet and sterile of visual clutter or bright lights.

Both the 1st and 3rd tried to put causation of my disabilities on depression. The 3rd even included the conclusions of the 1st in his report. They also tried to say I was faking the results. In both cases, I scored very high on the validity scales that are designed to find fakers. High scores mean the assessments were not faked. They stated that, even though he scored high on the validity scales, it is expected that he is malingering or faking his answers.

Don't ask for accommodations that can be used to push you back to work before you are ready. Healing can take time. Some healing never happens.

Don't try to use work-arounds to improve your score. Things like clustering for memory skills are not encouraged. Many work-arounds that you may have already developed or will learn are only useful on your good days. When you are overwhelmed, you brain will not have the focus to implement the work-arounds.

The different tests are designed to find your problems. They are not meant to determine if you are unintelligent or such.

So, relax, get your normal amount of rest, eat a normal breakfast, and take the different tests just as they are presented. Low scores just say you need more time to heal. They will likely do another NP Assessment at a later date to chart your improvement.

Someone mentioned therapy before the NP assessment. This would be if the assessment was meant to determine improvements from therapy. In your case, there should not be any therapy involved.

Attorney Gordon Johnson has some strong comments about Neuro-Psych Assessments at www.tbilaw.com

He has seen them used against brain injured client due to bias or poor interpretation of the scores. There is one test that can indicate depression if the scales are improperly interpreted. The same scales can also point directly at an organic injury that is still symptomatic.

Just remember, you want the results to represent your bad days, not your infrequent good days. The long day can cause fatigue but that is the purpose so don't worry about getting fatigued.

As 420 helps says, this assessment will introduce you to the new you. Relax and try to accept the new you.

I think I have started babbling and repeating myself. Sorry, common PCS symptoms.

My best to you.

Now, I will again watch Boise State Broncos play football and risk their brains. One player will likely be sitting out the game due to a concussion last week.