Neuropsychologist assessments: i didn't want to... - Headway

Headway

10,511 members12,815 posts

Neuropsychologist assessments

bikerlifestyle profile image
8 Replies

i didn't want to hijack someone elses blog so will post it here

whilst Neuropsychologist assessments are important i personally dont believe they show the true effects or accurate indicators of cognitive reasoning/ability

(i have copied the bits of the post i made elsewhere to save me typing lol)

I struggle with a lot of the aspects of them, but if its quiet and i can put all my mental energy into working out the answer in a controlled environment, it quickly exhausts you, there is no way i could do those things monthly let alone weekly or daily.

so if i answer something right, that is not a true indicator of my ability when i am outside and all the other factors of life are going on around you and the noise so whilst the tests do help assess a person, they don't take into account the energy involved to complete them and the strain that type of cognitive reasoning has on a daily basis

for those of you who have been through these, do you feel the same way?

i guess its the same for memory issues, you can only dedicate and remember so much in a day that you put all your energy into trying to remember all the important bits that everything else just gets lost in the noise

Written by
bikerlifestyle profile image
bikerlifestyle
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
8 Replies
AnthonyMs profile image
AnthonyMs

I feel the same way, it's an indication but not a complete picture of your difficulties. It is based on the IQ test which was developed to identify learning difficulties. So many people mistakenly think that it is the definitive measure of intelligence when it actually only covers a small portion of it. Now unfortunately, it's being used as a symbol of intellectual prowess and to assess your work potential. We are not machines capable of reproducing results effortlessly, many factors can affect our daily performance which these tests will never be capable of showing. They're good if only used in the right context...to identify broad areas of difficulties.

Danslatete profile image
Danslatete

I dont remember too much about it but i do know i fell asleep in the car on the way home from the appointments. My oh asked if it was a full body work out i was doing in there..Obviously the fatigue of doing the tests was immense.

Puffle profile image
Puffle

I agree the tests dont accurately reflect you and the difficulties you might have in day to day life as you can focus and respond better in a calm quiet environment. However I do believe that neuropsychologists (is that right?? The word doesn't look at all right lol) take all of this into account. At least the one I see does, she's brilliant and lovely with it. Maybe I'm just lucky?

supertwizzle profile image
supertwizzle

My neuropsych is also great. I passed all the tests with flying colours but she listened when I said I was having problems doing these things in the real world and she has now decided that my cognitive processes are being affected by my anxiety. And it is good to know that there isn't anything really wrong with my brain and it has given me the confidence to sign up for a OU degree to see if I can get it working normally (as if I've ever done anything normally) again. I have found the whole process very useful myself.

SASSYIAM profile image
SASSYIAM

THANK YOU 4 THIS OH SO ACCURATE POST.I AM NOT COMPUTER SHOUTING JUST IS FAR AND AWAY EASIER 4 ME.U HAVE CORRECTLY ,ELOQUENTLY DESCRIBED 4 ME THAT WHICH I STRUGGLE TO XPLAIN TO MY FAMILY.??!!. YES THEY WERE THERE WHEN I WAS IN A COMA AND I AM SURE 4 MANY OF THEM WERE IN A LIVING NIGHTMARE.BUT 20 YEARS HENCE, FOLLOWING QUALIFYING AS A PATHOLOGIST,SUCCESSFULLY PASSING A POLICE ADVANCED MOTORING TEST,BECOMING A MEMBER OF MENSA, IT CONTINUES TO ASTOUND ME THE WAY THEY ALL REPEATEDLY TALK NONSENSE TO ME,WITH THE SELF BELIEF THAT IT IS THEY WHO NOW SOMEHOW MIRACULOUSLY ARE PSYCHO THERAPISTS/PSYCHIATRISTS???? DO YOU MIND IF I PRINT YOUR POST PLEASE AND HAND IT OUT TO THESE ALIEN PEOPLE??? ALSO TO MY BANK WHO ONLY YESTERDAY WERE GOBSMACKED WHEN I TOLD THEM I RAN A CHARITABLE TRUST OF 20+ YEARS EXISTENCE AND THAT ALL MONIES RAISED GO STR8 TO THE APPROPRIATE CHARITIES??? ALSO IF ANYONE READING MY TODAYS DRIVVLE COULD TELL ME,WHICH BANKS ARE BEST FOR DISABLED/LOW INCOME RECIEVERS???

TwoCakes profile image
TwoCakes in reply to SASSYIAM

Hello, just to make a suggestion about the bank question....I sometimes help people to open an account with a credit union. They are a financial cooperative and when you join you are a member. I find that their service isn't as slick as the big banks but many of their members are on lower incomes and the staff have a more personal relationship with customers. Only problem is not all areas have them, this link can help find one though:

findyourcreditunion.co.uk/home

I agree biker.

In my most recent assessment for neuro rehab they asked me to draw a clock. I couldn't do it, but went home and thought about it, and ta dah I produced a perfect clock (with a bit of practice)!

misswingit profile image
misswingit

I find the build up to the assessment also does me no favours, I get extremely worked up, so the more notice I have the more damage it does. Im so panicked about trying so hard to do well and worry so much everyone thinks I'm pretending. It makes me feel sick.

The last bit about memory was faultless. No matter what I do I can't make something 'stick' if my brain doesn't want it to. Then eventually totally uncontrollably everyday merges and fades into the distance, leaving me with vague fuzzy memory's that sometimes I can pull back. However I can never pull back my feelings, the emotions attached to the memory. So I'm left empty. Starting a new day, only to realise I'm already loosing it. (However this can on a rare occasion work in my favour).

Fair play cracking post!

You may also like...

neuropsychologist assessment.

West London and am looking to have a neuropsychologist assessment. I was wondering if anybody could...

Neuropsychologist referral...worth it or not?

wants a better understanding of how his cognitive abilities have been affected. Neurologist did a...

Been to see a Neuropsychologist today

she said she usually does all the tests in 2 sessions but my concentration wasnt great so having at...

Does anyone have any experience with seeing a Neuropsychologist?

Pip assessment - have to smile sometimes

For those unfamiliar the PIP scheme is split into 2 parts: your ability to get on with daily lives