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Neuropsychological services 

  • Medicolegal assessment of people suspected of suffering traumatic brain injury or other neurological or psychiatric impairment in relation to CTP or Worker’s compensation claims, or other insurance matters;

  • Assessment to determine the need for Guardianship and Financial Management Orders (Administration Orders) in legal matters;

  • Assessment for rehabilitation purposes or return to work and provision of strategies for overcoming cognitive problems;

  • Testamentary capacity;

  • Post-humous (i.e., after people have passed away) Testamentary capacity;

  • Decision making capacity in legal matters;

  • Work capacity assessments of employees for workplaces;

  • Cognitive assessment for the effects of problems such as mental illness, alcohol and/or drugs;

  • Differential diagnosis of dementia;

  • Memory assessment;

  • IQ assessment.

  • In Sydney, Dr Lucas only offers medicolegal neuropsychological services or neuropsychological assessment of work capacity.

  • In Darwin, she only offers medicolegal assessments through MLCOA (mlcoa.com.au).

What is neuropsychological assessment?

Neuropsychological assessment is the detailed examination of cognitive skills (such as memory, attention, processing speed and problem solving), in order to examine brain-behaviour relationships.

 

The assessment involves paper and pencil type tests, as well as practical problem solving tests and the answering of questions. There are often some questionnaires to complete also. The tests used are standardised (i.e., given to a sample of people without brain impairment to provide a comparison) and well researched. None of the tests are physically invasive. Generally, assessments take between 3 and 4 hours (including interview and rest breaks), depending on the purpose of the assessment. Clinical assessments are much shorter than medicolegal assessments.

 

Skills assessed often include:

  • Intelligence (IQ)

  • Memory

  • Attention/concentration

  • Thinking/processing speed

  • Spatial skills

  • Language

  • Higher level executive functions (e.g. problem solving, planning, reasoning)

  • Emotional/psychological functioning

  • Academic skills (e.g. reading, spelling, maths)

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After completing the tests, the client’s test scores are then compared to people of similar age and background in order to determine whether there are any cognitive problems, and how severe they may be. The pattern of results across tests are then analysed and combined with background information about educational, occupational, social and medical history to diagnose brain-related medical disorders and/or explain the consequences of such a disorder.

What's the purpose of a neuropsychological assessment?

There are numerous both clinical and medicolegal reasons as to why a neuropsychological assessment may be warranted.​​

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In the clinical context:

  • To aid in diagnosis (e.g., presence of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia, or another neurological condition);

  • To determine what brain regions are affected at a functional level;

  • To identify strengths and weaknesses for rehabilitation purposes;

  • To monitor changes in brain function over time (e.g., decline or improvement in thinking skills);

  • To determine suitability for return to work and make recommendations that may aid the process;

  • To examine effects of treatment (e.g., medications, surgery or rehabilitation);

  • To determine decision-making capacity (e.g., living situation, medical decisions) or need for guardianship or financial management;

  • Assessment of testamentary or other legal capacity;

  • IQ assessment;

  • Assessment for presence of a developmental condition such as a learning disorder or ADHD/ADD.

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In the medicolegal context:

  • To determine whether a brain injury has occurred;

  • What impact any brain injury is having or is likely to have on the capacity for self care, independent living, work function or future employment;

  • To assess whether other factors (e.g., pain, psychological problems, functional overlay, effort) may be exacerbating the presence of any cognitive problems;

  • To assess whether a person will be able to manage funds from a compensation payout;

  • To aid rehabilitation providers with designing return to work programs or determining other rehabilitation needs;

  • Capacity issues in a legal context.

What conditions is a neuropsychological assessment helpful for?

Any condition that may have affected the central nervous system or caused cognitive problems including:

  • Traumatic brain injury

  • Dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease)

  • Multiple Sclerosis

  • Alcohol abuse

  • Psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, psychosis, anxiety)

  • Epilepsy

  • Brain tumours

  • Hypoxia

  • Neurotoxic effects

  • Stroke

  • Developmental disorders such as learning disorders or ADHD/ADD

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