Learning more about your child’s development during the preschool years can open doors for opportunities for enrichment, and support the cognitive mechanics of early learning. Neuropsychological evaluation at this age can help provide quantitative and standardized information about your child’s developmental skills.
Areas of functioning that can be assessed in a preschool evaluation:
- Cognitive skills
- Attention
- Emerging executive functioning skills
- Pre-academic skills
- Social-emotional and behavioral functioning
- Fine motor skills and visual motor coordination
Examples of clinical diagnostic considerations include:
- ADHD
- Dyslexia
- Speech/Language concerns
- Behavioral concerns
- Twice Exceptional/Gifted
Brain development starts when your child is in utero and continues into early adulthood. There are specific medical conditions for which a neuropsychological assessment can be particularly helpful during preschool years:
- Prenatal exposure to alcohol, recreational drugs, and/or tobacco
- Preterm delivery (before 37 weeks gestation)
- Low birth weight (under approximately 5 pounds, 8 ounces)
- Birth complications (e.g., cardiac events, acquired brain injuries, perinatal stroke)
- Seizures/Epilepsy
- Congenital heart disease
Children with these conditions are at increased risk for neurocognitive differences, including differences in cognition, motor, language skills, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Early intervention is associated with long-term benefits. The goal of a neuropsychological evaluation is to support the identification of areas that might need additional support so that your child can thrive.
