What is a neuro-developmental assessment for a child?

Question

What is a neuro-developmental assessment for a child?

Answer 1

What happens in the assessment?

It is not necessary to come to us for assessment to follow the Edutherapy programme, but many people will find it useful. The assessment serves two main purposes. Firstly, our investigations will provide a detailed understanding of the nature of each child’s underlying problems and allows us to explain any behavioural or learning difficulty the child may be experiencing. Secondly, the testing process will provide a current measure of attainment levels against which any progress can be measured.



What is involved?

The assessment can be split into four areas: Current attainments; Visual Functioning; Auditory Processing; Neuro-developmental Tests. Many of the tests used are standard measures of achievement employed by schools and educational psychologists. We also employ the Lucid Assessment System for Schools (LASS), a fully computerised multifunctional assessment system which has both diagnostic and ability tests. Further to these we use a number of specifically designed tests of visual and auditory processing. A comprehensive behavioural and developmental questionnaire allows us to complete a comprehensive and revealing examination of any child joining the programme. In the cases where a child is not testable, either the very young or severely affected, specifically targeted questionnaires are available.



Current Attainments

The Lucid Assessment provides age equivalent and centile scores for  verbal and non-verbal reasoning, spelling, and reading. Where further investigation is required the Crichton Vocabulary Scale can give an indication of verbal skills and the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test and the Goodenough Draw-a-Man Test examine non-verbal reasoning skills. Should a more comprehensive examination of reading and spelling be necessary the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability and the Vernon Spelling Test are used. Finally, much can be learned from a simple handwriting test. Observation of style, posture, pencil grip and writing speed provide useful insights to a child’s developmental profile.



Visual Processing

Eye movements betray a host of developmental problems and simple tracking tests are very informative. The Gardner Test of Visual Motor Skills tests for visual motor integration. The LASS programme highlights any problems with visual spatial and visual sequential memory which are vital in reading and spelling skills. Convergence is the ability to focus both eyes on the same object at the same time and two simple tests can assess this department of optical maturity. Finally, the Warnke Test of Order Threshold provides an accurate measure of the speed of visual processing.



Auditory Processing

There is a huge difference between hearing ability and listening skills. Where necessary full audiometric testing is available, but often a series of specific listening tests reveal a child’s true auditory processing difficulties. The Warnke Test of Order Threshold measures the speed of auditory processing which can be further investigated with the Warnke Sound Discrimination test. The Steinbach Dichotic Listening Test examines both the speed of processing and the maturity of auditory integration. The LASS programme will reveal any deficits in short term auditory memory and the Gardner test of Auditory Processing Skills provides similar but more detailed information. The LASS programme also provides a measure of phonological processing ability. Tests of directional hearing and ear dominance complete the examination of listening skills.



Neuro-developmental Tests

Throughout the assessment the child’s behaviour is  observed for indications of difficulties with brain integration and where a problem is suspected specific tests such as the Rey-Ostereith complex pattern can be used to investigate further. Problems with balance generally indicate neuro-developmental difficulties and a number of simple tests investigate this area. The dominance profile is another indication of developmental maturity; that is a preferred hand, eye, ear and foot for skilled activities. Finally, there are many tests for retained primitive or infantile reflexes which can be employed where necessary.

Answer 2

An evaluation can include

gross motor skills

fine motor skills

cognitive skills

language skills

social emotinal skills

sensory skills

self help skills

Answer 3

An IQ test.

Answer 4

To assess the neurodevelopmental outcome of 30 children with symptomatic HIV infection. METHOD: Thirty children attending Pediatric AIDS Clinic at University Hospital have received neurodevelopmental evaluation as part of their clinical care. Infants under 30 months of age were evaluated on the Bayley Scales; those over 30 months on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, the Peabody Motor Scales, and the Purdue Peg Board. The Gordon Diagnostic System was used to test attention in children over 4. RESULTS: The mean age of the children in this sample is 22.5 months with two-thirds of the sample under 30 months of age. Sixty-three percent have been diagnosed as having AIDS. Only 3 or 10% are functioning within normal limits. All three are less than 15 months of age. However, all of the rest of the infants under 15 months of age were severely cognitively impaired. Thus being young with this disease does not preclude developmental disability. Over half of the children were mentally retarded; 60% showed severe motor delays or a specific motor deficit. One-third of the children were functioning in the borderline range of intelligence. The two school-age children were in this range and had a learning disability. CONCLUSION: While the neurodevelopmental sequelae of HIV infection are severe, these children are living and entering school and will require special education.

Publication Types:

    * Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

    * Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

    * Child

    * Child Development

    * Developmental Disabilities

    * HIV Infections

    * Humans

    * Infant

    * Intelligence Tests

    * Learning Disorders

    * Neurologic Examination

    * Physical Examination

    * methods

Answer 5

Ideally, an evaluation by an OT, PT, Psychologist, Neurologist, Social Worker, and an Educator.

Answer 6

The doctor is going to assess that your child's nervous system is developing appropriately for the age he/she is.  They check motor reflexes, language skills if applicable, pupil responses, the cranial nerves, and things of that nature.