Child Neuropsychology Course

Lesson 1 • Core Theoretical Frameworks

Introduces dominant models explaining brain-behaviour relationships in children. Provides conceptual scaffolding for interpreting assessment and intervention data.

Lesson 2 • Research Methods in Child Neuropsychology

Surveys experimental, longitudinal, and case-study designs used in the field. Equips students to critically evaluate research evidence applied in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Ethical and Professional Standards

Covers competency requirements, confidentiality, and informed consent specific to paediatric populations. Establishes the ethical baseline required throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Postnatal Structural Maturation

Examines grey matter, white matter, and subcortical growth trajectories from infancy through adolescence. Links structural changes to emerging cognitive capacities.

Lesson 2 • Prenatal and Perinatal Brain Formation

Covers neurulation, cortical folding, and myelination onset before birth. Establishes the biological baseline for understanding early developmental risk.

Lesson 3 • Developmental Milestones and Brain Correlates

Aligns motor, language, and cognitive milestones with underlying neural substrates. Provides a normative reference for identifying atypical development.

Lesson 4 • Functional Network Development

Describes how large-scale brain networks consolidate during childhood and adolescence. Connects network maturation to executive, social, and language functions.

Lesson 1 • Psychometric Foundations of Testing

Reviews reliability, validity, standardisation, and normative comparison essential for test selection. Ensures students can evaluate instrument quality before clinical use.

Lesson 2 • Selecting Assessment Instruments

Guides evidence-based selection of cognitive, achievement, and neuropsychological batteries. Connects instrument choice to referral question and developmental stage.

Lesson 3 • Interpreting and Integrating Test Data

Teaches score interpretation, pattern analysis, and integration of multiple data sources. Prepares students for the diagnostic reasoning covered in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 4 • Administering Tests with Children

Addresses rapport building, standardised procedures, and behavioural observations during testing. Reduces measurement error introduced by child-specific administration challenges.

Lesson 1 • Attention and Processing Speed

Defines selective, sustained, and divided attention and their neural substrates in children. Provides the domain knowledge needed to interpret attention-related test profiles.

Lesson 2 • Visuospatial and Visuomotor Functions

Examines visual perception, spatial reasoning, and visuomotor integration across development. Connects these functions to academic and daily living skill demands.

Lesson 3 • Executive Functions and Self-Regulation

Defines inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory as executive components. Prepares students to assess and interpret executive function profiles.

Lesson 4 • Language and Communication Functions

Covers receptive language, expressive language, phonological processing, and pragmatics. Links language profiles to reading and academic achievement outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Intellectual Disability

Defines intellectual disability by adaptive and cognitive criteria and common aetiologies. Prepares students to conduct appropriate assessments and interpret results.

Lesson 2 • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Covers ADHD subtypes, neurobiological bases, and neuropsychological profiles. Connects diagnostic criteria to assessment findings and differential diagnosis.

Lesson 3 • Specific Learning Disorders

Covers dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia with their neural and cognitive bases. Enables students to identify learning disorder profiles through assessment data.

Lesson 4 • Autism Spectrum Disorder

Examines social cognition deficits, restricted behaviours, and sensory processing in ASD. Links neuropsychological findings to functional outcomes and support planning.

Lesson 1 • Paediatric Brain Tumours

Reviews tumour types, treatment modalities, and neurocognitive late effects in children. Enables students to assess and support children post-treatment.

Lesson 2 • Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders

Examines seizure types, antiepileptic medication effects, and cognitive comorbidities. Links epilepsy profiles to neuropsychological assessment and school support.

Lesson 3 • Paediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Conditions

Addresses ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, sickle cell disease, and recovery trajectories. Connects lesion location to expected neuropsychological deficits.

Lesson 4 • Chronic Illness and Neuropsychological Impact

Covers diabetes, congenital heart disease, and prematurity as sources of cognitive risk. Broadens students' understanding of medical conditions affecting brain function.

Lesson 1 • Writing Clear and Accurate Findings

Teaches precise, jargon-free language for describing cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Reduces misinterpretation by non-specialist readers of the report.

Lesson 2 • Formulating Evidence-Based Recommendations

Guides development of specific, measurable recommendations tied to assessment findings. Ensures recommendations are actionable for schools, families, and clinicians.

Lesson 3 • Communicating with Schools and Clinicians

Addresses interdisciplinary communication, consent for information sharing, and advocacy. Connects report findings to collaborative support planning across settings.

Lesson 4 • Structure of a Neuropsychological Report

Defines standard report sections and the logical flow from referral question to recommendations. Establishes the organisational framework students use throughout this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Cognitive Rehabilitation Techniques

Reviews attention training, memory strategy instruction, and executive function programmes. Provides students with a toolkit of evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation methods.

Lesson 2 • Behavioural and Psychosocial Interventions

Addresses behaviour management, social skills training, and family-based support strategies. Extends intervention beyond cognition to emotional and social functioning.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Neuropsychologically Informed Intervention

Establishes how assessment profiles drive individualised intervention design. Links domain-specific deficits to targeted remediation and compensatory strategies.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating Intervention Effectiveness

Teaches progress monitoring, single-case design analysis, and outcome measurement. Enables students to determine whether interventions produce meaningful change.