Neuropsychological assessment in highly complex profiles: a challenge that requires adaptation, expertise and interdisciplinary work
The Aspace Catalonia Foundation has participated in the 1st International Congress / 17th National Congress of Neuropsychology FANPSE, held in Valencia, with an oral communication presented by Laura Estrela, coordinator of the Mental Health Team of the Outpatient Care Service and assistant to the Director of the Health Sector.
The presentation, entitled "Neuropsychological exploration in congenital profiles of high complexity", has allowed us to share the Foundation's clinical experience in the neuropsychological exploration of people with highly complex congenital profiles, as well as to give visibility to the work carried out by the neuropsychology team in the evaluation of people with complex support needs.
During her speech, Laura Estrela highlighted the fundamental role of neuropsychological assessment in understanding the cognitive and functional profile of each person and guiding adjusted, personalized and meaningful intervention plans.
One of the main challenges in this area is the shortage of standardized tests adapted to people with multiple disabilities. Many of the available instruments are scaled based on a normotypical population, a fact that limits the representativeness of highly complex profiles and can make accurate assessment difficult.
For this reason, the communication emphasized the need to carry out adapted neuropsychological examinations, which guarantee the person's adequate access to the tests and allow for reliable results. This process may involve adjusting the functional characteristics of the assessment, adapting the response channel, modifying execution times or incorporating support systems and augmentative communication.
In this context, interdisciplinary work with theResource Team and Support Technology of the Foundation is key to identifying the most appropriate response channels and facilitating the person's access to evaluation instruments.
The communication also highlighted the importance of integrating the model biopsychosocial, based on conceptual frameworks such as the Tax ID No. and the F-Words, to understand the overall functioning of the person and guide interventions focused on their abilities and their life contexts.
The results presented show that adapted and personalized neuropsychological assessment, with the support of assistive technology, is an effective tool to ensure accessibility and reliability in people with complex neurological diagnoses. This approach allows the development of personalized intervention plans and tailored supports, favoring more equitable and inclusive care.
Participation in this international congress reinforces the commitment of the Aspace Catalunya Foundation to research, innovation and continuous improvement of clinical practice, with the aim of advancing towards increasingly accessible, reliable and functionally focused assessment methodologies for the individual and their family.
