[Bruins88]

So im going for a nuerophysc assement soon. Not exactly sure the date yet but I know im going.

What exactly is this? How long does it take? Whats it used for?

Im just slightly worried about it because it sounds difficult. Ill admit, my brain power is not what it used to be, but the cognitive therapy ive been doing has helped a lot.

What kind of questions do they ask? Are they actually difficult in nature? Is it timed?

Any personal experiences or stories that you guys have would be greatly appreciated!

[SarahSmile0205]

I will be anxious to see how it goes... This is part of the brain study I am doing down at University of Texas... I will find out soon enough

[Bruins88]

Think I should have my wife present as well?

[Mark in Idaho]

A Neuro Psych Assessment is not a pass/fail exam. It is used to diagnose how your brain is working. If you are struggling with any kinds of mental tasks, it will usually define those struggles. There is no way to prepare for an NPA. In fact, you do not want to prepare. You want to perform just like you do on a normal day. If you struggle with memory, that is fine.

An NPA can take from 2 hours to 8 hours. It depends on the battery of tests administered. There are multiple parts to an NPA. Some are paper and pencil. Others are question and answer with the tester. These are not questions about your knowledge. You will be read some information and be asked to recall that information. You will likely do a Trail Making test. Maybe a finger tapping test. Some do a test drawing an image that was shown for a set period of time. This is visual recall.

There may be a test to determine if you are depressed and what kind of a personality you have.

Don't worry about the difficulty. It is designed to test you to see where your brain fails. It says very little about who you are as a person.

I've done 3 1/2 NPA's. 3 full tests and one abbreviated NPA.

The personal value you will likely get is quite simple. It will show what is happening in your brain and confirm to others what you already know and are trying to say.

It can be used to direct a rehab clinic in ways to help you recover lost functions.

Your wife will not be allowed to accompany you. The tester may have a few questions for her but I doubt it. The insurance company is not interested in paying for the extra time.

So, just relax and be patient. It is a good thing.

btw, Have you talked to a Work Comp attorney ? It would be a very good idea.

My best to you.

[Hockey]

Mark from Idaho is absolutely right they you should not try to prepare for a neuro-psych. There is also not one standard test, so the experience does vary from person to person.

That said, one thing that is universal are "forced memory" tests to weed out malingers. I know you aren't faking, so this won't be an issue for you. Just don't be surprised if the opening questions are so easy, you're thinking, "Why am I here?"

As you shouldn't prepare for the neuro-psych, and the testing is different from patient to patient, I debated about whether or not to provide you with a snapshot of my experience. In the end, I figured, you asked, and it might help allay your anxieties. Besides, you can always look it up on Wikipedia. So here goes...

My neuropsychologist was wonderful and really determined to get an accurate picture of how I was doing, especially compared to old me. She said that was important because, as I was very high functioning before my mva, she suspected I might test "average" in some places, leaving my insurer to claim I wasn't injured seriously.

To make sure that didn't happen, in addition to providing copies of ALL of my medical records, she asked me to have friends and relatives send in written statements about me, before and after my TBI. I wasn't to see any of their submissions, so they could be candid, without hurting my feelings. She interviewed my husband and young daughter. She also asked for all of my school transcripts, work evaluations, IQ tests, etc... By the time this was done, she had a good picture of premorbid me, which helped her put my test results into perspective.

Tests do vary from patient to patient. Firstly, what you're asked depends on your age and education level, so you can be measured against your peers. No one expects an 85 year old to process information as quickly as someone four decades younger. The testers also have many, many tests to choose from. They often select which to administer, based on the subjects education, job, mechanism of injury, etc...

In my case, my test was oriented to a younger adult with degrees, and post graduate degrees, in both arts and math.

I was tested on my general knowledge: "Who was Abraham Lincoln?" "What is a sentence?" "How many continents are there?" "Provided the definition of the following words, etc... " (I was a published writer.)

As my day job involved mathematics, I was also asked to answer high level questions in algebra and calculus. For those, I was given pencil and paper. I was also asked simple math questions, orally. (Yeah, that went great. I'd forgotten the first number before the doctor got to the end of the question. )

The tester read out long, random lists of numbers and asked me to repeat the ones I could remember. I felt flustered and thought I was just blurting out numbers I was picking out of the air. Turns out I was giving them ALL back, but in exactly reverse order. Weird.

I also remember doing a peg board test, being asked to spot patterns, tested on facial recognition, being asked to recall lists of objects, being asked to draw pictures, taking the word/colour quiz to access impulsiveness, being asked, throughout the other tests, to recall details from a story that had been read to me at the beginning. There was a lot of other stuff, too - I was there all day.

The testing was grueling. Mark from Idaho mentioned that sometimes tired patients are allowed to take rests. Aside from a short lunch, my neuro-psychologist wouldn't permit me any breaks.

She said that, as my job required me to make decisions based on complicated calculations, under pressure, in real time, for prolonged periods, it was important to access my ability to maintain focus and accuracy. If I couldn't do that (turned out I wasn't even in the ballpark's parking lot ) there was noway the insurance company could argue that I could return to a career, where even small errors, or moments of hesitation, could have catastrophic consequences.

A few weeks after the testing, I had a three hour interview to discuss her conclusions (yes, they were devastating) and was given a written report.

[Hockey]

On other thing I should have mentioned is that the entire session should be recorded on tape.

This is standard procedure because honest neuro-psychologists record sessions so that they can refer back to it while writing their report. Be suspicious of any tester who does not want to document your test this way. That tape is your best defense against an unfair interpretation of your results.

If they refuse to tape your session, tell them you're bringing your own recording equipment. If they object, insist on another tester. PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.

[Mark in Idaho]

Hockey,

Your NPA sounds far more targeted that a normal NPA battery. This is likely because there was a focus on whether you could return to your job where you needed to perform at high levels.

I have had 3 NPA's. The WAIS-II intelligence scales showed me in the high 90's percentiles in most areas. That was the only math or knowledge oriented testing. The same WAIS-II showed I have a severely slowed processing speed. I think it was at the 25% level, maybe the 10% level.

The common knowledge testing appears to be more of a baseline test.

None of my testers recorded the sessions. The issue of recording the sessions should be mentioned to a good WC attorney.

kevs NPA may be a thorough battery or just a basic functioning battery. Often, WC is only willing to pay for a basic battery.

So kev, relax and discuss this with a WC attorney before moving forward.

My best to you.

[Bruins88]

Im assuming since I have no college background and work in a physical environment job that ill be given some basic tests?

The thing i really want them to pinpoint is why I have trouble multitasking, or remembering stuff if you distract me.

[pinka16]

Hello Hocky, As Mark mentioned, your NPA did a very good job. My NPA evaluated my tests against same age group but not the education. I have Master in Science and I have very high demanding job as a software engineer in on line payment processing. Single mistake can cost a lot to the user as well as the company and can ruin my career.

He told me that my memory is in the average range in my age group. Me and my family do notice change in my memory since my accident so I was hoping to have detail report on the area where I have to concentrate on so that I can improve.

I asked him if he can compare my result on the base of education and edge but he mentioned there is no studies based on education. One more thing I got to know about Kaiser.

[Mark in Idaho]

Often, those of us with high performing brains will notice a big difference when our performance drops to average. My memory was very good before my injury. I rarely needed memory aids and was in the habit of relying on my memory rather than aids. When my memory failed, this difference was very noticeable and I had a difficult time developing memory work-arounds.

pinka, you may need to have your report assessed by an occupational psychologist. An OP may have a better understanding of how your struggles impact your work abilities. Keep in mind that Kaiser's NP's are oriented in diagnosing conditions so they can rehab a patient to hopefully regain ability to live independently and successfully. They do not get concerned with returning patients to "high" functioning levels.