Psychological Testing:
Tests of intelligence and aptitudes, personality, attitudes and vocational interests are used sometimes to make a diagnosis, understand a person’s strengths and weaknesses and to design effective treatment plans. Psychological testing can provide information that might take many interviews to obtain.
Neuropsychological Testing
This is a special kind of psychological testing that is used when there are concerns about brain functioning – for instance, attention or memory problems. By measuring basic brain functions like attention, memory, language, visual perception, motor functions and the ability to perform tasks that require planning or conceptualization, the neuropsychologist can tell whether the brain is functioning normally and can detect patterns that aid in the diagnosis of conditions like ADHD, learning disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease. Neuropsychological testing is also useful in performing competency evaluations of older adults.