As the ‘decade of the brain’ comes to a close, it is clear that the field of neuropsychology has made many vital contributions to evaluation, treatment, and research issues in child and adolescent health care. In the study of brain-behaviour relationships, the neuropsychologist plays a unique role. The practice of child neuropsychology is differentiated from adult work because developmental and environmental influences have a significant impact on practice. The various goals of the child neuropsychologist may include psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment, the exploration of brain-behaviour relationships, consultation with a variety of professionals ranging from teachers to neurologists, and rehabilitation training. Advances in medical treatment have contributed to an expanding population of children and adolescents with neurological and/or neuropsychiatric concerns. New research in this field has also provided evidence of disordered or dysfunctional neurological systems in a number of childhood disorders and psychiatric conditions. This paper reviews some contributions that neuropsychology has made to the health care of children and adolescents in the past decade.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Cody et al. (1999) studied this question.