The study of the children’s brain, as well as the pathologies associated with the malfunction of this part of the body, has been an area of great interest for several years now, both for psychologists and health professionals in general who wanted to understand how it works. This set of organs is so important when it comes to understanding the human mind.
This interest lies in the fact that both pathologies and problems in neurological development in children have a direct impact on the adult they will be in the future, and learning to treat them correctly is the first step to help in these cases.
Taking this into account, here We will delve into the reasons why the Child Neuropsychological Evaluation is a fundamental aspect in supporting the little ones and their families seeing why it is key in the first years of life.
Child neuropsychology is the branch of psychology that is responsible for studying the relationship between children’s behavior and the characteristics of their brain, as well as their pathologies and deficits in the development of their mental faculties.
It is a multidisciplinary discipline that has been nourished throughout its history by very diverse contributions from other specialties such as neuropsychology, neuropediatrics, behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, early care and educational psychology.
More specifically, child neuropsychology aims to combine the knowledge of clinical psychology with the techniques and knowledge of behavioral neuroscience to evaluate the cognitive performance of children who may need it.
The main differentiating characteristic of children’s neuropsychology compared to that of adults is that takes into account as a reference to identify pathologies or alterations the changes that occur during the development of children.
With the advancement of the technologies used by these professionals, neuropsychological intervention in children is increasingly an area with greater possibilities and future projections, and their professionals help many families daily with the problems they may present.
In this sense, the Child Neuropsychological Evaluation is the main tool used by neuropsychology professionals to identify any type of problem in the acquisition of milestones of psychological development during childhood, and it is increasingly useful in a wide variety of areas.
Child Neuropsychological Assessment: Key to Effective Early Intervention
The child neuropsychological evaluation is carried out by professionals with the aim of evaluating, intervening, preventing and investigating any type of neurological or developmental alteration, pathology or imbalance in children.
This evaluation consists of various effective psychometric techniques, with which qualified professionals achieve establish a profile of the child’s cognitive performance, his neuropsychological situation and the state of his higher brain functions.
In addition to that, through child neuropsychological evaluation, professionals can analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the client’s cognitive performance; as well as specific dysfunctions, disorders or pathologies that may exist at a neurological level.
Finally, it should be noted that neuropsychological evaluation is of capital importance when analyzing or studying those disorders in which neuroimaging techniques do not detect any structural alteration; This is when neuropsychological assessment comes into play as the only means to identify cognitive alterations.
It must be taken into account that even in those cases in which there is no treatment that can completely “cure” the alteration, Detecting it at its earliest stage is essential to prevent many other problems arising from it from triggering such as school failure, greater exposure to the risk of suffering from addictions, very pronounced self-esteem problems, poor development of social skills, etc.
Disorders addressed by the Child Neuropsychological Evaluation
As we have indicated previously, professionals who are experts in child neuropsychology are responsible for treating a wide variety of disorders and pathologies.
Below we will summarize the main disorders that fall within the scope of the child neuropsychological evaluation.
1. Maturational delays
Maturational delays can be defined as those pathologies in which the boy or girl does not present the maturational characteristics of their age but is in a state prior to their natural development.
These delays can be treated successfully as long as we put ourselves in the hands of a qualified professional who applies the main tools and techniques of his specialization.
2. School performance problems
School performance problems can be due to multiple causes, among which we can also find a neuropsychological problem in the child.
Through a child neuropsychological evaluation, the professional can intervene in the problem and achieve a reduction in these learning performance problems.
3. Neurodevelopmental disorders
Neurodevelopmental disorders are a very varied set of pathologies and are based on developmental deficits in the acquisition of certain cognitive skills.
Some of these skills are memory, attention, perception, language, problem solving, and social interaction.
Acquired brain damage is a phenomenon suffered by both children and adults. In the case of children, they can be more easily addressed through clinical neuropsychology.
Some of these pathologies are usually ischemia, embolism, vasculitis, thrombosis or craniocerebral trauma.
5. Learning disorders
Learning disorders such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or non-verbal learning disorders They constitute another of the groups of consultations that child neuropsychology professionals receive most frequently.
The neuropsychological evaluation of children in this type of disorders must be detailed and individualized to achieve cognitive performance profiles adapted to each disorder.
6. ADHD
ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is another of the most frequently asked questions by neuropsychology professionals.
Is about one of the disorders that most affect the academic performance of children and its intervention has been studied over several decades from the field of neuropsychology.
7. Neuropsychiatric disorders
Neuropsychiatric disorders are also among the alterations typical of childhood neuropsychology.
The most common are tourette syndrome, cognitive deficit disorder and addictions.
