Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology: Science and Practice

This book provides student of clinical neuropsychology at the doctoral (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) level the needed conceptual information on neuropsychology's history as a science and profession, and its components including assessment, rehabilitation, forensic applications and research. Within assessment it covers various approaches to neuropsychological assessment for children and adults. These approaches are classified into so called "fixed" procedures in which all clients receive a comprehensive set of standardized procedures organized into a test battery, "flexible" procedures in which tests are chosen individually on the basis of the nature of the client's condition and the referral question and "clinical" procedures in which formal tests are not used but the assessment is conducted as a clinical evaluation. Frequently used tests are described in detail. Additional procedures, notably special tests to detect malingering and reduced effort which are typically required for forensic evaluations are covered as well. Neuropsychologists may engage in rehabilitation activities or provide rehabilitation planning and management services. Various types of rehabilitation are covered including cognitive retraining, computer based training, home-based support and therapy, behavior therapy, vocational counseling, supported employment, remediation of attentional, language, and learning disabilities, and treatment that may be offered during the acute phase of a disorder. Instruction on writing rehabilitation plans based upon neuropsychological evaluation and counseling with families is provided. Specific rehabilitation methods for different disorders including amnesia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are covered as well. This book includes graphs, tables, pictures, for example, of structures of the brain and nervous system, neuroimaging findings for various neuropathologies, to enhance student understanding. Instructors' resources include power point slides for each chapter, sample test questions, and color images (via website?) of black and white images which appear in the student text. Since it will include up to date information on current research findings, practice guidelines, and test development, this book also serves as a useful reference for practitioners.