The Neuropsychology Toolkit Guidelines, Formats, and Language
Many outcomes may hinge on a neuropsychology evaluation, from the awarding of money to the granting of custody. Assessment of mental, motor, and related functions must be accurate and results reported in clear detail to contribute to an informed judgment.
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Richard L. Wanlass
The Neuropsychology Toolkit Guidelines, Formats, and Language
Richard L. Wanlass University of California, Davis, Medical Center Sacramento, CA, USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4614-1881-8 e-ISBN 978-1-4614-1882-5 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-1882-5 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2011944429 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Introduction
Neuropsychology is not a particularly forgiving profession. The stakes of our evaluations are often high. Costly damage claims or disability awards may hinge on our findings. Our reports can form the basis on which rights and autonomy are denied for some, or the basis on which legal responsibility is absolved for others. Some patients and family members take offense when we identify cognitive impairment, and some take exception when we do not. Carefully built reputations may come under attack when attorneys hire neuropsychology experts to scrutinize our scoring, critique our test selection, and contradict our interpretations. And the paper trail of our work is always long, not only the records we must retain, but also the transcripts of our depositions and court testimony, which seemingly survive into perpetuity. All of which makes for a challenging and meaningful profession, but one in which minimizing mistakes is generally preferable to learning from them the hard way. This manual is offered with the intention of helping new and developing neuropsychology practitioners minimize errors, omissions, and misconceptions and move more rapidly and painlessly towards proficiency. Part I presents guidelines for improving the assessment and reporting process, with the rationale for each guideline, correct and incorrect examples, and exceptions or clarifications as needed. Part II provides tools for gathering background information and writing reports more efficiently and clearly. And Part III proposes wording for use in difficult-to-write sections of neuropsychological reports.
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Acknowledgments
My thanks to the 100 or so neuropsychology interns, fellows, and staff I have had the pleasure of supervising and training. It is their motivation to learn and improve that inspired my ef
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