Don’t sweat the test; it’s actually entertaining and a beneficial tool to help in your recovery.

I’ve never known anything other than PCD (or PCS) in my life, the tests helped explain many riddles in my life when it came to my cognitive abilities. IQ was much higher than my cognitive abilities projected… the neuropsych test results also introduced me to myself... my strengths and weaknesses.

Good luck to you

I scored 1st percentile with short term memory and recall abilities (99% of the population scored better, learned how to cope...a lot!)

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.

Hi

Just to be clear, I mentioned therapy because my therapist had done neuropsych testing in the past. My testing had nothing to do with gaging my progress from a theraputic point, it was just advice given to me by someone who was familiar with the testing.

She had told me that I could ask for breaks if I needed them etc.

Also, when I mentioned working around things, I am not referring to the neuropsych testing I was just referring to normal life.

Just do what you can do and try not to put additional stress on yourself.

Sorry if I didnt come across clearly.

hmmm, well okay....so what's a neuro psych test? What does it involve? Where should I go to get one & what will it tell me or do for this PCS?
I'm having biofeedback counseling therapy now that involves the use of the EEG used in the brain wave test. They refer to it as qEEG. Is this the same thing or different?

QEEG neurofeedback is a therapy that can help you learn to redirect some thought patterns. It can be very beneficial for some people. Hope it works for you.

Neuro-psych assessment is a diagnostic tool for measuring brain function and emotional condition. You will likely be directed to a abbreviated neuro-psych assessment by the SSDI people.

I am a big proponent of qEEG as a diagnostic tool and for therapy. Hope it helps you.

Greetings and welcome,

Oh so sorry to hear of your accident and your struggles with your recovery.
I am glad you have found this site because it is very encouraging, knowledgeable and caring. I have learned here how to be easy on myself as I live this new life with PCS.

I injured myself back in March 2010. This summer, I underwent the neuro-pysche testing. As said previously, it is exhausting. I slept the minute I got in the car at 2pm and slept to the next day.

During my testing, they asked if I wanted breaks but I kept going, pushing through even as the headache became more intense. By the end, it was very apparent I had reached my limit, which is what I wanted to do because I am a music teacher and my job is all about multi-tasking and keeping my students engaged, very mentally demanding even without a brain injury.

I was then referred to receive cognitive remediation with a speech and language pathologist and a cognitive behavioral therapist. I have met with the speech and language pathologist. Oh my, it was so refreshing to have someone affirm that I was not making this up. She understands!!!! I feel so relieved in knowing I have an advocate in the medical field. My neurologist however, dismissed me, no further appointments, and said it was all psychiatric.

These tests revealed where I am at, medically. My next steps are the rehab and well the job, that is way down the road for now. Healing is the priority and receiving the supports that will bring me back or lead me in the direction best suited for me.

Know you are going in the right direction and taking the right steps needed to uncover your abilities, so you can continue on your journey to recovery.
Peace
Grady Lady

THank you all for your comments and thoughts, and for sharing your experiences. I have been looking forward in a weird way for the testing because I feel like it will really help with the cognitive stuff that I am dealing with that is hard to explain, hard to see when you chat with me for 5 minutes. I am nervous about returning to work before the testing, my doc advises me to go back after the testing but it has taken so long to get it scheduled I'm thinking I need to go back a few weeks before it. I have been at my job long enough and the accident happened outside my office so everyone knows it was a bad accident, but as you all know with head stuff there is no clear recovery timeline so I feel like I have been leaving work hanging so to speak. They are not pressuring me (I'm very lucky in that regard) but some days I feel like maybe I should just go back and see how I do, other days I am like, no way am I ready.