Yes but if you scored better with medication, that should be an indication that you have adhd and the meds work for you.
Are these tests supposed to be with or without meds?
Why don't drs give more tests with patients on and off different meds with a baseline of off meds to see how much meds improve them??
I don't know if a neuropsych eval and a neurocognitive eval are the same or what - I can't get all these people and tests straight - just know they all cost a lot of $$$$!
Anyway, we're having dd's neurocognitive evaluation done at the local University. Two complete DAYS of testing, home visit, and classroom observation, all for a whopping 0. Not 00. 0. Priceless.
Hope it works.
I've recently received the 9 page Neuropsychological Evaluation summarizing the results of testing I recently underwent. Testing lasted 7 hours one day and I came back four days later, off medication, to retake several tests. The list of tests took is pretty long, including the WAIS III test for IQ, ADHD rating scales (short and long), personality screener, etc.... What did they do??? lots of questions you had to respond to orally, puzzles (like, identify what's missing in this picture....), putting block puzzles together, a tower puzzle comprised of three posts that you had to rearrange discs to mirror the example given, a computer test that droned on for 15 minutes measuring your response time and correct responses to specific prompts.... and on and on...
Interestingly, my results from the full day of testing on medication would not have indicated the presence of ADHD, it was only off medication that the difference in results gave sufficient evidence for the neuropsychologist to make the diagnosis. I think that's an indicator of the inconclusiveness of these various tests.
There seems to two schools of thinking on ADHD diagnosis...and one school of thought is that the executive function impairments associated with ADHD cannot "be measured adequately by traditional neuropsychological tests and that impairments can be seen much more clearly and validly in assessments of how individuals perform over time in a wide variety of daily tasks where they must manage themselves".
Every penney is worth it. The tests they perform are very thorough and they can rule out learning disabilities and other things that can lead to similar symptoms like anxiety and depresssion. The report he gave us had all the scores from the tests and subtests as well as explanations of each, and he attatched an entire page of recommendations based on his finds- most of which were academic, but a few were aimed at making our daily routine more managable.
I don't know anything about neurofeedback except that it is very expensive and that it's not proven- did the neuropsychologist mention it, or did you hear about it elsewhere?
The other benefit of having such an extensive report is that the school will have a very difficult time avoiding giving your child the help he needs. Our school had denied that my son even had a problem until we walked in with that report- not that they're exactly eager to help now, but they can't keep arguing that he doesn't have a problem.
Yes, indeed, the school cannot ignore a neuro-psyche report.[QUOTE=mellowdancer]Yes but if you scored better with medication, that should be an indication that you have adhd and the meds work for you.
You're right, and that's what happened. But I was already on stimulant medication... I guess my point is, if someone's not on medication for adhd, then having neuropsychological testing, alone, may not be accurate and valid for diagnosing ADHD. This is where the importance of observation, monitoring, and self-reporting (for adults) and interviewing (for kids) is so important, because the current tests for EF (executive function) are apparently only indicative of ADHD in about 1/3 of those who have ADHD.
Re the IQ tests...dd scored a full standard deviation higher on her IQ test when on medication (and one standard deviation is a LOT. She went from an 82 to a 101. The school had her at 82, which is very low normal. That made us wonder how much we should push her in school, if her IQ was low...KWIM? And if her IQ is 82, how much is the school really going to help her? Maybe they would really lower their expectations for her. So when the neuropsych eval (on meds) cam back with an IQ of 101 (and they did some other testing to verify it so it couldn't be refuted), I was happy to present it to the school. I don't want them lowering expectations for dd.
I never heard that. Where did you hear that?
So do they recommend you do the tests on or off medication??
I did hear that people with adhd score lower on I Q tests when off meds. That makes sense.
I also heard that EVERYONE focus is better on meds, adhd or not. I know there are parents who want to give their kids meds for the SAT or college exams even if they are not dx with adhd. Let's face it, we all procrastinate tasks we don't enjoy or are difficult. That's why I can sit here for hours on this message board while my house is a mess!!!! Ha Ha!
ok, we just came from the neuropsych and they recommended all these tests and maybe EEG, and 00 later we will have results of these tests and then what???
Neurofeedback??
Please, for those of you who have been to neuropsych what tests did they do??? What did the tests tell you?? How has your child benefited??
I don't know what to do...go down the psych route who has just been trying meds or the neuro psych route???
Help!!!!!!
Well, I just did a google and got a pretty good page about what tests can be done. Here is a link:
Mellodancer, if your question ("I never heard that. Where did you hear that?") is referring to my statement: "...because the current tests for EF (executive function) are apparently only indicative of ADHD in about 1/3 of those who have ADHD," I was referring to an article by Dr. Thomas Brown (link: http://www.drthomasebrown.com/pdfs/ef-conflict.pdf ).
Bottom of page 37 he states:
"...only about 30% of those diagnosed with ADHD &n bsp; appear to have significant executive function impairments."
Interestingly, in small sample of neuropsyc. tests that I took "off medication", only one showed showed significant difference from my medicated results: coding task, trail marking, color naming, word reading, and D-KEFS Color Word Interference Test all showed little difference on and off meds; however, a test of sustained attention and response inhibition (IVA-CPT) showed a clear difference on and off meds.
Here's my 2 cents on the topic of neuropsych tests.
My son turns 14 tomorrow. He had extensive NP testing at age 7.5, so I have almost 7 years of reflecting on this topic...and an opinion of what the price of the NP testing bought me over those 7 years.
First let me say that my son's testing took 2 days...about 6 hours each day. It was done at a local university teaching hospital... specifically the Oklahoma University Health Science Center's Behavioral Science department. The NP was a PHD level researcher and was assisted by two graduate students. It cost me 0 back in 2000 and I received a comprehensive 9 page report detailing each test and the results as well as recommendations. The testing was done without medication because back then my son wasn't actually officially dx'd...and we didn't start meds until age 11.
I have to say it was some of the best money I have ever spent during the course of the many years I have been searching for the best help for my son. I've literally spent thousands on various specialists, therapies, tutoring, medications, etc. This neuropsych testing identified many areas of my son's strengths that we have fully taken advantage of over the past 7 years. The main thing it uncovered was high IQ and giftedness and it helped tremendously when it came to planning his IEP needs, course work, getting him admitted to the gifted programs, ACT test accomodations, etc. The data that the 9 page report highlighted was pretty much not questioned by the school district. And believe me......schools are VERY data driven when it comes to giving a child services. If you have good data from a neuropsych report to support your position, that is worth its weight in gold.
So....is NP testing worth it? I say yes. Is it worth it at the price of 00? That is debatable I think. It sounds like a private practice "retail" price for a neuropsych test battery. Is there a state university teaching hospital close to you Mellowdancer that may have a behavioral science department?
Just my opinion. & ;nbs p; Okiemom
okiemom39114.875474537Yes, when my ds took his IQ test he was not on meds and he scored much lower than I would have expected so I have no doubt he would do better with better focus.
he just took his practice SAT's without meds...probably should have put him on them....next year!