| CODE | PSY5652 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Neuropsychological Assessment of Children and Adolescents | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit considers the fundamental principles of neuropsychological assessment in children. It also focuses on the different factors involved in the administration, interpretation and reporting of neuropsychological assessments. Neuropsychologists are required to assess functions that are at risk of compromise and provide prognosis of outcome after brain injury/disease at various stages of development. Therefore all assessment procedures within this unit build on fundamental concepts of normal and abnormal development. Workshops are used to review the strengths and weaknesses of various tests used for assessing different components of cognition and behaviour. The importance of interpreting tests within the context of individual cases and describing potential functional implications is highlighted. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit is aimed at enabling participants to develop a framework for assessing neuropsychological functions in children and adolescents. Participants will be expected to become familiar with the use of a variety of neuropsychological tests and interpretation. This will entail being able to determine which tests are applicable to which investigation is required, to create a rapport with children and adolescents, to administer tests to children and adolescents, and to interpret and report the relevant findings. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate a deep understanding of the normal stages of cognitive development and learning; - Demonstrate a critical understanding of the diagnosis and prognosis of deficits following a brain injury; - Demonstrate an understanding of the psychometric principles of neuropsychological assessment; - Demonstrate a critical understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the different neuropsychological tests; - Demonstrate a critical understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and applicability of the different neuropsychological tests; - Demonstrate a critical understanding of the functional implications of assessment results; - Demonstrate an understanding of the social model of disability, culturally responsive education and inclusive schools. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Select the appropriate neuropsychological assessment by considering the child's history, the presenting problem, developmental stage and reason for referral; - Critically consider the cultural context of the child when selecting the appropriate neuropsychological assessment; - Conduct a neuropsychological assessment interview; - Establish rapport with the child / adolescent; - Observe the child's behaviour during the assessment; - Conduct a neuropsychological assessment; - Interpret the results of the assessment within the context of individual cases; - Write a neuropsychological assessment report that is appropriate for the target audience (e.g. parents, schools, professionals etc); - Communicate the results of the neuropsychological assessments to different audiences; - Provide recommendations on the functional implications of the results of the neuropsycholgical assessment; - Use neuropsycholgical assessments to monitor cognitive change over time (mapped on normal development). Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Baron, I,S. (2004) Neuropsychological Evaluation of the Child. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - Donders, J. (2015) Neuropsycholgical Report Writing. The Guilford Press. Supplementary Readings: - Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., & Loring, D. W. (2012). Neuropsychological Assessment, 5th Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - Reed, J., & Warner-Rogers. J. (2008) Child Neuropsychology. Concepts, Theory, and Practice. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Michaela Scerri Danae Gingell |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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