Mission Statement for the Section of Pediatric Neuropsychology

To provide high quality neuropsychological assessment and consultation for patients and families served by the clinical programs within Pediatric Surgical Subspecialists (PSS), and to generate and support neurocognitive and neurobehavioral research at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas (DCMCCT).

Description

In Pediatric Neuropsychology, we focus on how neurological and medical conditions affect all aspects of a child’s life, including cognitive functioning, behavior, and learning.  Pediatric neuropsychologists have specialized training and expertise regarding brain development and the affect on cognition and behavior. By completing a comprehensive assessment of memory, attention, problem solving, language, motor skills, and other areas of functioning, neuropsychologists can determine how various medical conditions may be impacting a child’s development, which can help guide medical and surgical treatment. Overall, the role of neuropsychologists is to help provide a comprehensive perspective of a child’s level of functioning so that the team can focus on maximizing the child’s quality of life. This includes assistance in designing intervention efforts, such as therapeutic services, psychological treatment, and educational programming.

How Section Stands Apart

Among specialties within PSS, Pediatric Neuropsychology is most unique in its approach to patient care. Neuropsychology is primarily a diagnostic service that spends most of the day with one child to examine all aspects of the child’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. The information gathered is very thorough and detailed, providing a high quality clinical picture of how a child is developing and how the child’s medical condition may be impacting his/her level of functioning. This is used to direct medical and surgical treatment, and it is used to treat the child holistically by helping design both educational and therapeutic interventions. To maintain our high standards of quality, we do not see a large number of patients.  Instead, we see a select few who need more thorough examination than what is provided by other disciplines.