What do we mean by neuropsychology?
Neuropsychology is one specialty or clinical discipline that merges psychology and neurology. Science that studies brain structures, cognitive functions, emotional processes and behavior.
Els neuropsychologists they are the specialists in determining, assessing and rehabilitating deficits associated with alterations in brain functioning. These alterations may be the result of previous brain damage, the onset of a neurodegenerative disease or neurodevelopmental alterations.
Neuropsychology, a tool to improve the quality of life
In the field of neuropsychology, neuropsychological tests are carried out to carry out an assessment, establish the diagnosis, and in this way be able to adjust the treatment to the person.
Locate the neuropsychological profile it helps professionals to better understand the person, and to be able to adjust the treatment that best suits the users. This means they can receive one specialized care and aimed at improving their capacities, reducing their deficits and increasing their autonomy.
However, it allows the experts to explain the clinical evolution and the expectations of both the treatment and the family itself, and the surrounding context (school, CTO, workshops, residence).
When is a neuropsychological examination done?
The neuropsychologist, together with the clinical team, assesses the best time to administer standardized tests. They can be administered from an early age and throughout the entire life cycle.
Since the Aspace Catalunya Foundation, there is a wide battery of tests that help the experts to adapt to the user's profile (non-verbal people or people with idiomatic difficulties, motor and sensory impairments, etc.). However, it must be borne in mind that it is not always possible to administer tests, and a qualitative assessment of the person's functioning will be made by observing the interaction and the game, through different specific materials, such as interviews with family or carers.
It is necessary to insist on the fact that the mental age and level of development of the person does not always correspond with the chronological age. Therefore, the user must be understood and the environment around him adapted to his actual functioning, this will help to avoid behavioral and emotional disorders that sometimes appear without a clear or obvious cause or explanation.
Neuropsychological work from cognitive stimulation
In the field of neuropsychological treatment, one of the most used approaches is cognitive stimulation. Cognitive stimulation is defined as a set of activities aimed at improving and maintaining cognitive functioning through exercises that work attention, memory, executive functions, language, etc.
They exist different modalities of cognitive stimulation programs (paper and pencil or digital programs), and can be adapted and used in populations of different profiles: dementia, intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental disorders, acquired brain damage, etc.
Cognitive stimulation treatment at the Aspace Catalunya Foundation
Al Ambulatory Care service of the Aspace Catalunya Foundation has a program NeuronUP. This allows you to design cognitive stimulation sessions, personalized from a wide range of activities organized by cognitive functions.
From the Mental Health team of the Ambulatory Care service, they have been created three programs that correspond to three levels of difficulty. Each program is made up of 10 one-hour sessions held weekly, where different cognitive functions are worked on. For example, attention exercises, memory, executive functions, language, gnosis and praxis, and social cognition are combined in one session. The activities start at the programmed level and increase or decrease in difficulty depending on the performance of the participant.
In addition to adapting the difficulty of the activity to the user's profile, adaptations can also be made to the computer for people who have visual or motor problems. With the help of the technology support team, the mouse can be adjusted with a Joy Stick or the cursor size can be changed, so that the person can be more autonomous with the computer and increase their sense of self-efficacy.
Currently, at the Menta Health servicel, two cognitive stimulation groups are active that take place on a weekly basis: one for adults and another for children.
- El adult group, it is made up of people diagnosed with cerebral palsy and mild-moderate intellectual disability.
- The group of children, is made up of children aged between 8 and 10 with a diagnosis of mild/moderate intellectual disability.
The general assessment of this tool is very positive, both participants and professionals are very satisfied with this treatment.
References
Ali, A., Brown, E., Tsang, W., Spector, A., Aguirre, E., Hoare, S., & Hassiotis, A. (2021). Individual cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) for people with intellectual disability and dementia: A feasibility randomized controlled trial. Aging & Mental Health, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1869180
Ballester-Plané, J., Laporta-Hoyos, O., Macaya, A., Póo, P., Meléndez-Plumed, M., Vázquez, É., Delgado, I., Zubiaurre-Elorza, L., Narberhaus, A., Toro-Tamargo, E., Russi, ME, Tenorio, V., Segarra, D., & Pueyo, R. (2016). Measuring intellectual ability in cerebral palsy: The comparison of three tests and their neuroimaging correlates. Research in developmental disabilities, 56, 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.04.009
Stadskleiv, K., Jahnsen, R., Andersen, GL, von Tetzchner, S. (2018). Neuropsychological profiles of children with cerebral palsy. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 21(2), 108-120. doi: 10.1080/17518423.2017.1282054.
