Neuropsychology
What is neuropsychology?
A specialised field that explores the relationship between brain functioning, cognition, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.
Neuropsychology is the study of how the brain supports thinking, behaviour and emotion. A clinical neuropsychologist measures those abilities directly, using standardised tests, to establish what is working well, what has changed, and what that means for daily life.
The brain in everyday life
The brain plays an important role in many of the abilities we use every day, including memory, attention, concentration, language, problem-solving, planning, decision-making and visual-spatial skills. These abilities can be affected by neurological conditions, brain injuries, medical illnesses, developmental differences, psychological factors and the effects of ageing.
A neuropsychological assessment provides a detailed picture of how an individual is functioning across those areas. It goes beyond simply asking whether someone has a good or a poor memory. Instead it considers which cognitive abilities are working well, which may be affected, and how those changes are influencing everyday life.
Findings are interpreted in the context of a person’s history, medical background and current circumstances, because the same test result can mean quite different things for two different people.
What an assessment measures
Cognition is not one thing. It is many, and they can be affected separately.
- Memory
Learning new information, recalling it later, and recognising what has been encountered before.
Day to dayRepeating questions that have already been answered, misplacing objects, or losing track of recent conversations while older memories stay intact.
- Attention and concentration
Sustaining focus, filtering distraction, and holding information in mind while working with it.
Day to dayLosing the thread partway through a task, struggling to follow a conversation in a busy room, or needing to reread the same paragraph several times.
- Language
Finding words, understanding what is said, reading, writing and expressing yourself clearly.
Day to dayReaching for a word that will not come, substituting a related word by mistake, or finding that written instructions take longer to make sense of than they used to.
- Executive function
Planning, problem-solving, decision-making, flexibility and self-monitoring.
Day to dayDifficulty starting or sequencing a multi-step task, becoming stuck when a plan changes, or acting before the consequences have been weighed up.
- Visual-spatial skills
Perceiving, judging and organising visual information and spatial relationships.
Day to dayMisjudging distances while driving or parking, bumping into objects on one side, or finding it harder to navigate a familiar route.
- Processing speed
How quickly and efficiently information is taken in, worked through and acted upon.
Day to dayNeeding longer to reach an answer that was once immediate, or feeling that conversations and instructions move faster than they can be absorbed.
Who it helps
When an assessment is worth doing
An assessment is usually requested for one of the reasons listed here. If your situation is not among them, it is still worth making contact to discuss whether assessment would be useful.
- 01Cognitive changes have been noticed after a stroke, head injury or illness
- 02Memory or concentration difficulties are affecting work, study or daily life
- 03A diagnosis is unclear and the treating team needs a clearer cognitive picture
- 04A baseline is needed against which future change can be measured
- 05Recommendations are needed for rehabilitation, workplace or academic support
- 06Family members want to understand what is happening and how best to help
Considering an assessment?
The initial consultation is a conversation, not a test. It is where we establish what you are hoping to understand, and whether assessment is the right next step.