History - The Public Need

The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes neuropsychology as a specialty within professional psychology. There is an expanded need for the public to have access to the kind of services provided by neuropsychologists based societal changes including longer life expectancies and rapid developments in medicine. Historically, psychological assessment expanded in the 1940’s to meet the need for screening soldiers for military service and then to treat the acquired brain injuries. ‘Shell Shock’ first appeared in the British journal The Lancet (1915) as the term describing brain injuries to soldiers who were not actually hit by a projectile but suffered some mysterious effects from the blast itself but the term also encompassed what is now understood to be PTSD. In Germany. Before the advances in neurosurgery at that time in Great Britain, most people died from serious head injuries. However, with these advances, it became possible to rehabilitate soldiers from head injuries which began at that time. Currently cognitive rehabilitation which is often informed by neuropsychological assessment, helps people with many different type of conditions such as developmental differences (i.e. Asperger’s Autistic Spectrum. ADHD and others) as well as acquired neurological conditions (e.g., anoxic injuries and stoke). In addition many types of medical conditions such as genetic abnormalities,brain tumors, inflammatory CNS conditions, brain-based degenerative diseases and chemical exposures are seen by neuropsychologists. There are a multitude of medical diagnose that can affect cognitive/neuropsychological status which include cardiac and endocrine disease, cancers and chemotherapy treatment and there are many others.

ADHD, learning disabilities of both verbal and the non-verbal type and cognitively imparing medical conditions are also assessed with neuropsychological tools. Diagnosis is based on both a clinical interview and objective tests which are often the only ways to identify many conditions related to the brain and behavioral manifestations of a disorder

Increased Public Awareness of the Effects of Brain Injury

The incidence and awareness of how sports-related concussion (Football, Soccer, Hockey & Cheerleading to name only a few) can have both acute and cumulative effects has also increased the demand for these services. Soldiers and veterans have finally been given some validation for the effects of TBI after years of having this classified with old perspectives from WW11 such as ‘shell shock’ and other pejorative labels. It is becoming generally accepted that a medical screening in the acute phase of concussion and baseline assessments for the future are important.