When I was working in an outpatient neuropsychology clinic at a hospital, I had completed a neuropsychological evaluation with a middle-aged woman who was concerned about memory problems. Her testing indicated that cognitively she was relatively intact with some mild difficulties likely related to the effect that her depression was…
Everyone has strengths. But many people have not learned to realize their strengths for different reasons. A person may develop in a household where the parents are depressed, hopeless, beleaguered financially, or struggling with unresolved trauma or addiction. Many people grow up in families that are too weary or busy…
“Pieces. Pieces. So many pieces to my life. Scattered all around, And some of them are gone, And I know that I can’t ever Put them back together again. Pieces. Pieces. So many pieces to my life. A puzzle left unfinished, Jumbled and unformed. Who can really ever Fit…
A colleague and I played phone tag for a few weeks trying review results of a child I had evaluated. When we finally connected, I was relieved to learn that the child was in very capable hands and that the parents were equally encouraged by what they were witnessing in…
A breeze tousling hair, soft grass under bare feet, warmth of sunshine. Juicy watermelon, charcoal-grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, fresh corn on the cob. Bright green leaves, blue skies with puffy clouds, colorful arrays of flowers. The smell of wet pavement after a thunderstorm, cherry blossoms, fresh cut grass. Birds…
We are one year into a global pandemic in which our lives have been significantly changed. Isolation, uncertainty, lack of routine and structure, fears about health, and the barrage of sometimes conflicting information has impacted most of us. Perhaps you have noticed a shift in your mood. Or sleep difficulties,…
The terror and fear lurking behind that question is not unfounded, as parents seek to understand their role in creating the current concerns or symptoms they are seeing in their child. And to be honest, I may think the same thing about my own children at times. Discussing the traits…
In my work as a neuropsychologist, I have seen many older adults for cognitive evaluations. One of the questions I am asked most frequently relates to whether an individual’s “forgetfulness” is normal for their age or if it should be reason for concern. With much research focused on dementia over…
Life had been moving along for most of us in a normal way. Then drastically, yet progressively, everything changed. COVID-19. Social Distancing. Hygiene precautions. Quarantine. Stay at home. Our brains were moving right along with us in a normal way. And then change, panic, error, alarm! Our brains do what…
They say hindsight is 20/20, which should mean that we have full knowledge or understanding of the impact of our previous choices. However, there is not always such a direct connection when it comes to child development. In the practice of pediatric neuropsychology, which is the study of brain and…
