Neuropsychology Program
The Neuropsychology Team at Children’s Mercy works with children and teens with medical conditions that affect how the brain works. Our comprehensive evaluations provide information about thinking, learning, behavior, emotions and development. Through these evaluations, we identify your child’s strengths and challenges, assist with diagnostic clarification, and direct treatment planning. Our goal is to help every child reach their full potential and thrive in everyday life.
What we do
Our evaluations help you better understand how your child thinks, learns, remembers, pays attention and solves problems. Using this information, we provide practical recommendations tailored to your child’s needs that will:
- Identify services and resources that may benefit your child at home, school, or in the community.
- Develop recommendations that support your child’s current needs and future growth.
- Provide strategies for parents, teachers, and caregivers to help your child learn and thrive.
- Recommend educational support for school-based accommodations when appropriate.
Because children's needs change as they grow, they may return for follow-up evaluations over time. These visits help us monitor progress, update recommendations and ensure your child receives the support they need to reach their full potential.
Preparing for your child's neuropsychological evaluation
Our neuropsychological evaluations are designed to be child-friendly, noninvasive and painless. During the evaluation, your child will complete a variety of activities, such as solving puzzles and answering questions. These tasks help us understand how they learn, think, remember and pay attention.
Our team has extensive experience working with children and strives to create a supportive, comfortable environment. It is normal for children to feel nervous before an evaluation. You can help by talking calmly about the visit and reassuring your child that there are no shots, procedures, grades, or "right" or "wrong" answers. The evaluation is not a test they can pass or fail, so trying their best is all that matters.
What to expect
- Most evaluations last 4 to 6 hours, so plan for a full-day appointment.
- A neuropsychologist and/or neuropsychology fellow will meet with you and your child to learn about your child's medical, developmental, educational and behavioral history.
- We will discuss any questions or concerns you have about your child's learning, attention, behavior, emotions or daily functioning.
- Your child will spend most of the appointment working one-on-one with a neuropsychology team member, completing activities and tasks designed to better understand their strengths and areas of need.
- Scheduled breaks, including a lunch break, are provided to help your child stay comfortable and engaged.
- Parents and caregivers should remain available throughout the evaluation. To obtain the most accurate results, neuropsychological testing is conducted in a distraction-free setting. For this reason, children complete testing independently with a member of the neuropsychology team while parents and caregivers wait in the waiting area.
What to bring
Please bring any items your child may need during the day, including:
- Regularly scheduled medications.
- Medical devices or supplies.
- A water bottle, snacks and lunch.
- School records that may help us better understand your child's needs, such as:
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans.
- Previous psychological, psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluation reports.
How to help your child prepare
To help your child perform their best during the evaluation:
- Make sure they get a good night's sleep before the appointment.
- Provide a healthy breakfast the morning of the evaluation.
- Give all regularly prescribed morning medications, unless you have received different instructions from your health care team.
Is neuropsychology the right service for my child?
Neuropsychology focuses on understanding how medical, neurological, genetic and developmental conditions affect a child's learning, thinking, behavior and everyday functioning. We commonly evaluate children with conditions such as epilepsy, brain tumors, stroke, complex congenital heart disease, neurofibromatosis and other complex medical conditions for which neuropsychological assessment is considered part of recommended care.
We do not provide counseling, psychotherapy or medication management. Referrals focused primarily on mental health concerns, autism spectrum disorder, or learning disabilities without an associated qualifying medical or neurological condition are typically redirected to other specialists and programs that can more appropriately provide these evaluations and services.
Referral review process
A referral from a Children's Mercy provider is required. Once a referral is received, our team reviews your child's medical history and referral information to determine whether neuropsychology is the most appropriate service. If another service would better meet your child's needs, we will provide recommendations to help guide next steps.