Neuropsychological Report Writing

by Jacobus Donders PhD (Editor)

Overview

All neuropsychologists need to know how to produce evidence-based reports. This book brings together experts to provide an in-depth guide to high-quality report writing in a range of contexts, including evaluations of older adults, psychiatric patients, those with complex medical conditions, schoolchildren, and others. It reviews the fundamental elements of a clinical neuropsychological report and shows how to tailor findings, conclusions, and recommendations to particular audiences, such as referring physicians, school professionals, and legal decision makers. Of special utility, every chapter features excerpts of sample reports, including examples of strong and poor documentation of the same material.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462524174
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Series:	Evidence-Based Practice in Neuropsychology Series
Pages:	265
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jacobus Donders, PhD, ABPP (CN, RP), is Chief Psychologist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology, Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology, and Rehabilitation Psychology through the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. His main interests include validity of neuropsychological tests and prediction of outcome after brain injury. In addition to being an active clinical practitioner, Dr. Donders has served on multiple editorial and executive boards, has published more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as several edited or coedited books, and is an associate editor of Child Neuropsychology and Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Table of Contents

1. General Principles of Neuropsychological Report Preparation, Jacobus Donders & Carrie-Ann H. Strong
2. Neuropsychological Reports for School-Age Children, Kira Armstrong & Shannon M. Lundy
3. Neuropsychological Evaluation of the Medically Complex Child, Marsha Vasserman & Ida Sue Baron
4. Differential Diagnosis in Older Adults, Laura H. Lacritz & Heidi C. Rossetti
5. Psychopathology and Psychiatric Comorbidity, Robert M. Roth & Laura A. Flashman
6. Personal Injury Forensic Neuropsychological Evaluation, Glenn J. Larrabee
7. Criminal Forensic Neuropsychological Evaluation, Joel E. Morgan & Bernice A. Marcopulos
8. Pre- and Postsurgical Neuropsychological Evaluation: Illustrations in Epilepsy, Chris Morrison & William S. MacAllister
9. Evaluation for Treatment Planning in Rehabilitation, Kirk J. Stucky & Thomas J. Gola
Index

Interviews

Practitioners and students in clinical neuropsychology. May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.

Editorial Reviews

"An invaluable guide for students tackling the difficult task of learning to write outstanding reports that are maximally useful in various practice contexts. There are also enough high-level tips and strategies to make midcareer neuropsychologists want to read this book to sharpen their craft. Engaging and clear, the book addresses not only the mechanics of report writing, but also critical issues of test selection and interpretation and common mistakes. This is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach; rather, the book provides multiple report-writing tools that can be pulled out of the toolkit depending on the audience and purpose of the assessment. This book will undoubtedly become a mainstay in graduate-level neuropsychological assessment courses and a well-used reference for practicing neuropsychologists."—Karen Postal, PhD, ABPP-CN, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; private practice, Andover, Massachusetts

"Neuropsychologists routinely write reports, yet remarkably little literature exists on the topic. Donders should be commended for so superbly filling the gap. Each chapter is chock full of usable tips and expert advice to make report writing more efficient and consumer friendly. The volume is so rich with actionable information that it promises to be of use not only to students and early-career neuropsychologists, but also to seasoned practitioners."—Michael W. Kirkwood, PhD, ABPP-CN, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine

"The editor and contributors achieve their goal of promoting practical and effective clinical reports. Chapters describe specific contexts in which neuropsychologists provide comprehensive assessment services, summarizing the issues that need to be addressed in each situation. The exemplars comparing less desirable and more desirable ways of communicating the same information are very helpful. This volume captures the complexity of neuropsychology practice and provides important insights for emerging and established practitioners."—Celiane Rey-Casserly, PhD, ABPP-CN, Director, Center for Neuropsychology, Boston Children’s Hospital

"Donders has gathered an extraordinary group of neuropsychological experts from a wide range of practice settings and patient populations across the lifespan. This essential volume provides thoughtful guidance in the construction of evidence-based clinical neuropsychological reports. In each chapter, readers will find well-reasoned discussions of the crucial variables to be considered. Abundant examples illustrate how to craft the wording of reports to best meet the needs of our patients and others who rely on our assessments to inform decisions and provide appropriate services."—John A. Lucas, PhD, ABPP-CN, Department of Psychology, Mayo Clinic Florida

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Christopher J Graver, PhD, ABPP-CN(Madigan Healthcare System)
Description: The usefulness of neuropsychological assessment is not in the testing, but in communicating the results to patients and providers. This book addresses this by focusing on effective report writing.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide an effective approach to report writing in neuropsychology across different types of settings, patients, and audiences.
Audience: This is going to appeal most to students of neuropsychology, but certainly practicing clinicians could benefit from reevaluating their own approach with the suggestions the book contains. The editor and contributing authors are well respected in the field.
Features: Within the overarching theme of report writing, this book is broken into sections on school-age children, medically complex children, older adults, psychiatric comorbidities, forensic and administrative exams, epilepsy assessments, and rehabilitation. The book starts with a review of report writing criteria used to judge practice samples by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, which provide a concrete structure that guides the remainder of the book. There are practical guidelines followed by case examples with more and less desirable examples of report writing content and styles. Although thoroughness is expected, there are fitting examples of reports that remain concise and on target to the referral question without extraneous points. Rarely, there seems to be a nit-picky idiosyncrasy to the suggestion, but in major measure there is clear rationale and demonstration of the more desirable style across all chapters.
Assessment: The authors have done an admirable job of putting into words some of the more difficult concepts about report writing that a clinician might know, but not be able to articulate to students. This would serve as an excellent resource for trainees across all areas of psychology given the broad applicability of the concepts. Certainly, there are more seasoned clinicians who could further refine their report writing with this book as well.

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