The vision of the Neuro-Network Centre is to provide a neuropsychological assessment service that is of the highest quality in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Included in this vision is that all who come in contact with the centre, whether attorneys, medical practitioners, psychologists, patients and/or families of patients, are treated with the utmost care and respect.
The Neuro-Network Centre is headed by Dr Sharon Truter and offers medico-legal and private assessments, training and supervision of psychologists in neuropsychology, research in the development of neuropsychology, and the NeuropsychologySA website.
ABOUT
Neuropsychology is a burgeoning field in South Africa, emulating global trends. Neuropsychological assessments are being recognised as essential tools of assessment and diagnosis of brain-related injuries and illnesses.
The Neuro-Network Centre provides neuropsychological assessments for patients, both forensic and non-forensic in nature. It also provides an environment for the advancement of neuropsychology in South Africa, through the training and supervision of psychologists with special interest in neuropsychology, and through research aimed at practical improvements in the applicability of neuropsychology in all of South Africa’s language groups and cultures.
Neuropsychological functions assessed: Perception; Memory; Language; Reasoning; Visuospatial and Constructional ability; Executive functioning; Pre-morbid cognitive functioning and Emotion (e.g. anxiety, depression, paranoia and psychosocial problems). Medico-legal assessments usually also include malingering tests.
CONSULTATION
Assessments only take place in the mornings, and take approximately 3 – 4 hours. Appointments, particularly for medico-legal assessments, need to be made well in advance.
The night before the appointment, the patient needs to have a good night’s sleep and should not consume anything that could affect cognitive functioning the following day. For example: do not consume excessive alcohol the night before the assessment.
On the day of the assessment, the patient must be accompanied by a family member (or a person who has known the patient very well) and must bring: most recent school reports (in the case of the child) and pre-injury/illness school reports (where relevant); spectacles (if worn for reading purposes); hearing aids (if needed); a list of any medications the patient is taking and a snack for the mid-assessment break.
Accompanying family members/friends will be interviewed at the start of the assessment. After that, they may go out while the patient is being assessed, but are welcome to wait in the comfortable waiting room. Tea/coffee with be provided mid-morning while playing the game bolatangkas.
Ages: All ages of patients can be assessed – from babies to the elderly.
Languages: English, Afrikaans and Xhosa-speaking patients can be accommodated. Translators for other languages can be arranged, if needed.
Disabilities: Patients with disabilities can be accommodated, including sight and hearing-impaired patients and patients in wheel chairs.
Fees: Consultation fees are charged per hour of work. Please contact us for a quote.