| Thursday, June 23, 2022 |
| 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM → CE Workshops (3 CE each) |
| 1. Update on the Biological Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Relevance for New AD Therapeutics and Neuropsychology Clifford Jack, Jr., MD, David Knopman, MD, & Nikki H. Stricker, PhD, ABPP Biomarkers have changed the landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research and now have direct relevance for who may be eligible for current and forthcoming AD therapeutics. This workshop will review Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, with a focus on traditional imaging and CSF biomarkers and the projected impact of plasma biomarkers on clinical trials and practice. MRI classification of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) will also be reviewed. The status of disease-modifying therapies for AD will be discussed, including drugs that were approved and those that may be on the verge of being approved. AD biomarkers and emerging AD therapeutics will also impact neuropsychology. We will highlight considerations for normative data, the use of composite scores in the clinic, how we think about the diagnostic accuracy of neuropsychological measures, and how digital cognitive measures are needed to help with increased demand for and equitable access to cognitive screening and monitoring. |
| 2. TCN Presents: Do Black Lives Matter to Clinical Neuropsychologists? Steven Paul Woods, PsyD & Marc A. Norman, PhD, ABPP Inspired by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) academic strike (Science, 2020), this workshop is a call to action for clinical neuropsychologists to use their platform as clinician-scientists to promote the brain health of Black Americans. Race permeates our work as clinical neuropsychologists, with influences ranging from historical misuse of assessments (Guthrie, 2004) to modern problems of limited access to services (Richardson & Norris, 2010), assessment biases (Byrd et al., 2021), and under-representation in research (Pugh et al., in press) and training (Whiteside et al., 2016). This workshop draws from a BLM-focused special issue of The Clinical Neuropsychologist to highlight current gaps in the field's training, science, and practice as they concern Black Americans. The importance and role of neuropsychologists in focusing specifically on the brain health of Black Americans is illustrated through review of the science and application to clinical care. Concrete recommendations are offered to enhance the relevance and representativeness of our work as clinical neuropsychologists. |
| 3. Early Childhood Assessment of Typical and Atypical Neurodevelopment: Current Practice, Challenges, and Implication for Future Directions Renée Lajiness-O'Neill, PhD, Amy K. Connery, PsyD, ABPP, & Alison Colbert, PhD This workshop will focus on typical and atypical neurodevelopment in infants and young children, first examined through the results and challenges faced by developmental neuroimaging researchers, and then by an exploration of the myriad socio-contextual factors that impact developmental and pediatric assessment in the US and globally. Our understanding of what is known about early cortical organization and hemispheric specialization will be discussed. The speakers will then focus on current practice and challenges in assessing typical and atypical development in the US and in low and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). The workshop will address the impact of socio-demographic and socio-cultural factors in pediatric assessment. We will discuss the need for population-based assessment methods in global health, and common neurodevelopmental insults and their impact on young children living in poverty. Preliminary findings from: 1) A longitudinal, multisite study of a new early childhood development measure, PediaTrac; 2) A large cohort of infants and young children who have sustained inflicted traumatic brain injuries; and 3) assessment of neurodevelopment in a large cohort of infants and young children in rural Guatemala will be discussed. |
| 4. Neuropsychological Evaluation of Coincident Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Forensic Settings Nathaniel W. Nelson, PhD, ABPP & Paul A. Arbisi, PhD, ABPP Clinical neuropsychologists who practice in forensic settings often evaluate examinees with claims of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) arising from a single precipitating event (e.g., motor vehicle accident, participation in combat). In the current workshop, a clinical neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist provide an integrated overview of the various complexities that often accompany these "combined" injury claims. The presenters will provide a review of contemporary diagnostic criteria for PTSD and TBI and highlight certain parallels and differences that exist with regard to the diagnosis of psychological and brain trauma. Typical neuropsychological and psychological recovery patterns and various risk factors (e.g., pre-morbid vulnerability, injury-specific, and post-event characteristics) for post-event recovery will be discussed for TBI, PTSD, and their comorbidity. Finally, the importance and utility of contemporary psychometrically valid personality/psychopathology inventories (such as the MMPI-2-RF and MMPI-3) to best target intervention will be reviewed. |
| 5. "But I Tried My Best!": Providing Feedback After Invalid Presentations in Adult and Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychological Evaluations Phillip K. Martin, PhD, ABPP, Dominic A. Carone, PhD, ABPP, & Michael W. Kirkwood, PhD, ABPP Although feedback is rarely communicated directly to forensic neuropsychology examinees, oral feedback is a common practice in clinical evaluations. This distinction raises several concerns unique to clinical practice when test data are invalid, such as how to deliver objective yet patient-centered feedback about invalid presentations in a way that reduces the likelihood of confrontation and negative reactions while also focusing on improving clinical outcomes. Another common concern is how to assist such patients without blindly advocating for surreptitious agendas that possibly motivate invalid test performance. These and other topics will be addressed by the presenters as each discusses published models for the provision of feedback in the context of case examples, empirical research, and perspectives regarding patient care. Feedback models for both adult and pediatric examinations will be shared. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:25 PM |
| 6. Student Presentations by the 2022 TCN Student Paper Competition Winners Please note change in day and time. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM → CE Workshops (1.5 CE each) |
| 7. Test Security Update: New AACN Position and Guidance Kyle Brauer Boone, PhD, ABPP Psychological and neuropsychological test security is a critical issue. If test questions and stimuli, instructions, scoring methods, and other sensitive information become available to non-psychologists, test result accuracy will be sacrificed, at considerable risk and cost to society, as well as to the viability of clinical neuropsychology as a specialty. Unfortunately, despite previous position papers in neuropsychology and psychology on test security, exact procedures to be followed to maintain test security have largely not been specified. In addition, the evolving digitization of information can provide for ready uploading of test materials, leading to mounting threats to test security. AACN has recently issued comprehensive guidelines for test security to cover all venues in which neuropsychologists and psychologists are involved, such as forensic, educational, and clinical assessments; teaching and training settings, and research environments. The new AACN guidelines on test security will be introduced and discussed. |
| 8. Lab Values Associated with Cognition Brett A. Parmenter, PhD, ABPP & Kathleen Pagulayan, PhD Abnormalities in serum studies can be associated with changes in mental status and cognition. Some relationships have been clearly demonstrated, such as some electrolyte abnormalities and development of delirium. Other serum studies provide markers of non-brain organ dysfunction that can increase risk for cognitive change although a relationship between the finding and cognitive functioning is less clear. Although neuropsychologists are not physicians, it is important for us to be knowledgeable of such conditions as we conceptualize cases and offer diagnoses and recommendations. This talk will discuss common lab values that are associated with cognitive change and information that can be helpful for neuropsychologists. Particular focus will be on electrolytes, non-electrolytes, vitamins, and lab values associated with kidney and liver function. |
| 9. Adolescent Neurobehavioral Development: Typical Trends and Impact of Substance Use on Developmental Trajectories Monica Luciana, PhD Typical adolescence is characterized by continued neurodevelopment, including refinements in network connectivity. These refinements involve neural circuits that regulate executive functions, which improve steadily through adolescence, as well as those that mediate reward sensitivity, which appears to peak in mid-to-late adolescence. Peaks in reward sensitivity create challenges for developing executive systems, because control is difficult to achieve when motivations are highly salient. Moreover, environmental experiences, if sufficiently intense, can alter maturational trajectories. One such experience is substance use. Executive control as well as motivational processes are impaired in the context of active substance use disorder. Neural circuitry is also impacted. But whether deviations consistently emerge as a consequence of sub-clinical levels of use, or use that begins at early ages, is debated. This talk will review recent findings that address these dynamics, including those gleaned from large-scale longitudinal studies such as the NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. |
| 12:55 PM – 1:55 PM → CE Workshop (1 CE) |
| 10. ABCN Maintenance of Certification (MOC): A Review of Process and Procedures Leslie Guidotti Breting, PhD, ABPP & Clemente Vega, PsyD, ABPP This presentation provides an overview of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process. The presentation will provide a summary of "MOC basics," including MOC requirements and timelines for application submissions. A MOC application exercise ("mock MOC") will be presented to showcase the electronic MOC application and to illustrate the array of professional activities that an applicant may cite in support of the successful MOC application. A primary aim of the presentation is to emphasize that MOC is NOT a process of ABCN re-examination or completion of any formal testing, but rather a systematic process of documenting one's routine professional activities in neuropsychology that serve to maintain competence, including competence serving culturally, ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse populations, over the course of one's career. |
| 12:55 PM - 1:45 PM → Special Interest Lunch Meeting |
| 11. Pediatric Neuropsychology Subspecialty Interest Group Featuring Current Topics in Pediatric Neuropsychology |
| 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM → CE Workshops (3 CE each) |
| 12. Updates on Controversies in Sport-Related Concussion (SRC), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and Neuropsychology's Participation in the NFL Baseline Assessment Program (NFL-BAP) William B. Barr, PhD, ABPP Neuropsychology has played a major role in the study and management of sport-related concussion (SRC) and has also been implicated in associated controversies. This three-part workshop will focus on the evolution of neuropsychological assessment methodology in the assessment and management of acute concussion in active National Football League (NFL) players and studies of the potential long-term effects in its retirees. Part one will provide a historical introduction to the study of SRC, establishment of testing programs in the NFL, and review the league's disputed early research findings. Part two will concentrate on studies of neurodegenerative disorders in NFL players, emerging interest in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and arguments against the existence of CTE. Part three focuses on neuropsychology's role in the NFL Baseline Assessment Program (NFL-BAP), rationale for the methodology adopted for that program, and the controversy that resulted from the use of "race norms". The presentation will include the latest updates on the NFL-BAP and the status of neuropsychologists' participation in that program. |
| 13. Breaking the Mold: Practice Development, Promotion, and Marketing Outside of the Box Mark T. Barisa, PhD, ABPP & Tannahill Glen, PsyD, ABPP Presentations on the business of neuropsychology typically focus on reacting to billing, coding, reimbursement, health care reform, and other health policy and regulatory changes. This interactive workshop looks to break the mold of prior presentations by focusing on a proactive approach to managing a practice in neuropsychology in a way that will allow participants to grow, develop, promote, and market aspects of their practice that meet the fiscal, professional, and personal goals for them, the practitioner/person. The focus of the workshop is to help participants break out of the traditional limitations placed on neuropsychology practices, while developing their practice in a fiscally responsible, sustainable fashion, with a focus on developing a practice that reflects their passions, professional development, and work-life balance. An emphasis will be placed on targeting activities that promote positive, affirming, and diverse professional activities, while maintaining employment/financial security within or outside traditional settings. |
| 14. Preparing for the ABPP Board Certification Examination in Clinical Neuropsychology: Everything You Wanted to Know but Didn't Know Who to Ask - Policies and Procedures (Session 1 of 3) Anthony Y. Stringer, PhD, ABPP, Julie Bobholz, PhD, ABPP, & Rodney Vanderploeg, PhD, ABPP Specialty board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) for all practicing and teaching clinical neuropsychologists is a major goal of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). This includes clinical neuropsychologists who work with children, as well as those who work with adults. This workshop is designed to familiarize the potential candidate with the policies and procedures of the ABCN examination and to provide advice on study and preparation. Session 1 reviews the history and development of board certification in neuropsychology, current policies and procedures for the board examination, and the process of examination. Participants will be introduced to the extensive resources available to help candidates prepare for the exam and will learn tips for success during each of the phases. This session will also provide a "peek behind the curtain" so that you know what is really going on during the board exam and will shatter common myths and misconceptions. At the end of this session, participants should be thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the ABCN board certification process and examination and should feel prepared to take their next steps toward certification. |
| 15. Multicultural Education and Training in Neuropsychology: History, Applicability, and Future Directions Orlando Sánchez, PhD Following the social directions initiated by the civil rights movement, clinical "cultural competency" training in psychology has evolved over the last four decades, most notably in counseling psychology. Undeniably, the pioneering work of Sue and colleagues (Tripartite Model; 1982) brought a particular focus to the issue with considerable positive systemic changes, particularly with respect to awareness of the issue. Overall, to broadly summarize the major accomplishments of the "cultural competence" movement that emerged in the 60s/70s, we could reasonably argue that 1) "cultural competence" is now a valued perspective in psychology, and 2) we now have some established mechanisms (e.g., policies, standards, etc.) in place demanding inclusivity, change, and more favorable outcomes. On this issue, counseling psychologists have been the "tip of the spear," while those in neuropsychology largely stood idle, until recently. Within the past decade, neuropsychologists and relevant organizations such as AACN have mobilized with, among other things (e.g., Relevance 2050), greater interest in multicultural education and training in neuropsychology. This workshop is only a small component of these larger efforts and aims to offer the audience at least a partial solution to the dilemma of health disparities in access to clinical neuropsychological services. While this author does not presume to have all the answers to this complex issue, this workshop will offer you a partial solution - a conceptual clinical framework grounded in available research relevant to multicultural education, specifically, the acquisition of culturally-informed clinical neuropsychology skills. |
| 16. Neuropsychological Outcomes Following Pediatric Cancer: From Clinical Management to Emerging Research Peter L. Stavinoha, PhD, ABPP & Marsha Nortz Gragert, PhD, ABPP As survival rates for pediatric cancer continue to improve, cancer-related morbidity and late effects remain a central focus for neuropsychologists working with this population. This workshop provides an overview of our current understanding of factors associated with cognitive and psychosocial outcomes for pediatric cancer survivors. We discuss cognitive phenotypes associated with CNS and non-CNS cancers and treatment paradigms in children, including a review of mechanisms, risks, and mitigating factors affecting outcomes for survivors. The workshop will include a deeper dive into the range of educational impacts specific cancer types have on children, emphasizing the need to bridge clinical findings with various types of academic supports. We review the current state of interventions to ameliorate cognitive, psychosocial, and educational impacts of pediatric cancer, and offer recommendations for clinicians to incorporate into their work with this population. |
| Friday, June 24, 2022 |
| 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM → CE Workshops (3 CE each) |
| 21. The Road to Relevance Part II: A Strategic Plan for the Future Anthony Y. Stringer, PhD, ABPP, Brad Roper, PhD, ABPP, Farzin Irani, PhD, ABPP, Ryan Van Patten, PhD, & John Bellone, PhD, ABPP By the year 2050, the United States will become a majority-minority country, requiring the field of Neuropsychology to substantially evolve its clinical toolkit, professional cadre, and theoretical perspectives to better serve a multilingual and multicultural population. We present a draft Strategic Plan for Mid-Century Relevance to address the challenges facing Neuropsychology, including specific goals and benchmarks. To illustrate aspects of this plan, presenters will discuss three multi-organizational, collaborative efforts: (1) the upcoming Neuropsychology Training Guidelines Revision Conference, (2) the Author Accelerator Program, and (3) digital media approaches to broaden awareness of neuropsychology. Recognizing that no one organization can do it all, presenters will discuss both how Relevance 2050 can create programs for the future, as well as support novel programs created by others. The workshop will close with an opportunity to share feedback on the strategic plans and programs, as well as new ideas to keep neuropsychology relevant for a changing world. |
| 22. Avoiding, Responding to, and Making Formal Ethics Complaints Timothy A. Crowell, PsyD, ABN & Leslie D. Rosenstein, PhD, ABPP In this workshop, an overview of licensing board complaint procedures will be reviewed. This will include a review of the types of complaints typically seen and how to avoid being the respondent in a complaint. There will then be a discussion of considerations in responding to complaints as well as a presentation of case vignettes involving complaints against psychologists and their resolution. Finally, there will be an audience participation discussion of the ethics complaints process and how/why a neuropsychologist may wish to submit an ethics complaint. This will include a discussion of the ethics of conducting neuropsychological evaluations of individuals whose primary or only language and country of origin do not match the provider's language or country of origin. This will extend to a discussion of whether and how to address perceived ethics violations in these circumstances. |
| 23. Staying Up to Date: An Analysis and Review of the Recently Published Malingering and Validity Assessment Literature Base Ryan W. Schroeder, PsyD, ABPP Research on malingering and neuropsychological validity testing has substantially grown in recent years. Given the multitude of journals that publish this literature and the large number of articles on these topics, it is nearly impossible for most individuals to stay abreast of the emerging validity assessment research base. The presenter will analyze and identify trends in the literature while discussing findings that have been published across journals over the last year. Freshly published research on validity assessment within tele-settings, literature utilizing the new Sherman et al. criteria for malingering, considerations of potential false positive findings, base rates of invalidity in general clinical settings, creation of novel embedded validity indices, cross-validation of short forms of validity tests, meta-analyses on specific validity tests, cross-cultural validity assessment, utilization of validity measures for individuals with disabilities and severe cognitive impairment, use of validity tests for predicting treatment adherence, international perspectives on validity assessment, and many additional topics that have recently been published upon will be reviewed and discussed. |
| 24. Preparing for the ABPP Board Certification Examination in Clinical Neuropsychology: Everything You Wanted to Know but Didn't Know Who to Ask - Oral Examination and the Practice Sample Defense (Session 2 of 3) Anthony Y. Stringer, PhD, ABPP, Julie Bobholz, PhD, ABPP, & Rodney Vanderploeg, PhD, ABPP Specialty board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) for all practicing and teaching clinical neuropsychologists is a major goal of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). This includes clinical neuropsychologists who work with children, as well as those who work with adults. This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the practice sample defense part of the oral examination for board certification. Participants will have the opportunity to observe simulations of this portion of the oral exam. The instructors will provide feedback on a single clinical case report (appropriately masked and without raw data) to all participants wishing to have a mock practice sample reviewed. In order to be reviewed, the single case report must be submitted by June 8, 2022 through the mock practice sample submission page. |
| 25. Ten Reasons Why COVID-19 Educational Disruption is an Urgent Concern for Neuropsychologists Molly Colvin, PhD, ABPP, Jennifer Reesman, PhD, ABPP, & Tannahill Glen, PsyD, ABPP The coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in educational disruption of historic extent. Interim data from early reports on standardized assessment data and preliminary studies on academic gains reveal grave concerns about unintended effects of prolonged educational and school services disruption. We identify ten major themes emerging from early data, most pressingly the increase in educational, psychosocial and physical disparities for those most at risk even before the pandemic: students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, and students from low-income households. The significant challenges to evaluation and diagnosis of learning disabilities will be addressed. This workshop will also highlight concerns about reliance on normative data and development of academic recovery programs. Clinical practice considerations will be presented, as well. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM → CE Workshop (1.5 CE) |
| 26. AACN Special Topic - Challenges and Opportunities: How AACN Evolved, Met Past Challenges, and is Preparing for the Future Linas Bieliauskas, PhD, ABPP, Bernice Marcopulos, PhD, ABPP, Anthony Stringer, PhD, ABPP, & Dean Beebe, PhD, ABPP While it may seem that there are enormous challenges facing neuropsychologists, we should remember all that we have accomplished as a profession and as an organization. In fact, the development and growth of the AACN has been spurred by necessity and opportunity. This session will review the Academy's history in meeting past challenges, and highlight the enduring resources marshalled by the AACN and its members. We will then outline Academy initiatives to address current and future challenges. The session will close by providing concrete ways that audience members can participate in AACN initiatives, advocacy, and visioning for the future. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM → Student Series - No CE |
| 27. Panel Discussion on Rejection in your Professional Life Stephanie Towns, PsyD, ABPP, & Pamela Dean, PhD, ABPP Please note change in day and time. |
| 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM (No CE) |
| 28. AACN Town Hall Meeting |
| 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM → CE Workshops (3 CE each) |
| 29. Forensic Grand Rounds: Practical Considerations in the Evaluation of Non-Native English Speakers Farzin Irani, PhD, ABPP, Adriana M. Strutt, PhD, ABPP & Karim Z. Yamout, PsyD, ABPP Immigration trends are rapidly increasing the cultural and linguistic diversity of individuals presenting for forensic evaluation. These grand rounds will describe important considerations when conducting forensic assessments of individuals from Latinx, Arab, or Asian Indian communities. For each community, relevant surface and deep level cultural background information will be presented, followed by a discussion of resources and challenges when working with non-English speaking examinees from these communities. We will review practical strategies that can help examiners increase rapport when conducting interviews, elicit optimal performance, integrate contextual factors into opinions, and differentiate neurological and non-neurological etiologies within cultural contexts. Three forensic case illustrations will be used to highlight presenters' armamentarium of neuropsychological tools and limitations of such measures, centering on the nuances of mediating and moderating cultural and linguistic factors. Current status and future needs of the field of neuropsychology in a forensic setting with non-native English speakers will be discussed. |
| 30. Neuropsychology Decision Making: Avoiding Medical Errors and Ethics of New Practice Frontiers Mike R. Schoenberg PhD, ABPP, Doug Johnson-Greene, PhD, ABPP, & Corwin Boake, PhD, ABPP This workshop will span three interconnected issues to provide an in-depth analysis of new practice frontiers in neuropsychology. The first part will review individual case psychometric methods to improve and evaluate neuropsychology decision making that balances several contemporary areas of clinical research including normal variability in scores, intraindividual variability as a marker of disease risk, and test score reliability and validity. The second part of the workshop will discuss new practice frontiers in neuropsychology that include the expansion of telemedicine and opportunities for neuropsychologists to take a more active role in the management of individuals with cognitive health problems, including ordering various medical tests and consulting other medical specialists and therapies. This section will review Root Cause Analysis to evaluate for medical errors and common diagnostic pitfalls and cognitive biases in making (and preventing) medical errors. The third part of the workshop will focus on the ethical issues that may be anticipated with new practice frontiers, with a particular focus on teleneuropsychology, HIPAA Privacy Rule and expanded role of neuropsychologists in ordering tests and, in some states, prescribing mental health medications. |
| 31. Is your Pediatric Assessment Relevant? Recent Advancements in Pediatric Cultural Neuropsychology Veronica Bordes Edgar, PhD, ABPP & Beatriz MacDonald, PhD This session will discuss advancements in the area of pediatric cultural neuropsychology. While there will be brief review of fundamentals, this workshop is geared towards intermediate to advanced learners as they seek to expand their knowledge and application of information. Recent advancements in the literature in this area will be reviewed with a focus on identification of further study that is yet to be done. Cutting-edge approaches in the assessment process including the use of the ECLECTIC framework will be shared in order to guide all aspects of the evaluation, including diagnostic interview and ways to incorporate these components into feedback. Strategies on how to strengthen the supervisory relationship using a sociocultural context will be identified. Finally, this workshop will also focus on application of this information and helping participants build curriculum for teaching pediatric cultural neuropsychology. |
| 32. COVID-19 and the Brain: Update on Current Research and Treatment Interventions Kristin Fiano, PhD, ABPP & William S. Garmoe, PhD, ABPP The year 2020 brought the world a pandemic of proportions we have not seen in our lifetimes. With tens of millions infected globally and in the US, COVID-19 has significantly impacted all of our lives. While this disease is best known for its effects on the respiratory system, there is compelling evidence that the virus impacts other organ systems as well, including the central nervous system. In this workshop, we will review current hypotheses about how this disease may impact the brain, detailing direct and indirect routes, early and late cognitive manifestations, and potential long term effects. One presenter will discuss the treatment approach used in a COVID-19 Recovery Program, for individuals presenting with persisting sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). The important role of neuropsychology in responding to the clinical and research needs of future pandemics involving the central nervous system will be discussed. |
| 33. Preparing for the ABPP Board Certification Examination in Clinical Neuropsychology: Everything You Wanted to Know but Didn't Know Who to Ask - Oral Examination in Ethics/Professional Development and Fact Finding (Session 3 of 3) Anthony Y. Stringer, PhD, ABPP, Julie Bobholz, PhD, ABPP, & Rodney Vanderploeg, PhD, ABPP Specialty board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) for all practicing and teaching clinical neuropsychologists is a major goal of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). This includes clinical neuropsychologists who work with children, as well as those who work with adults. This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the ethics/professional development and fact finding parts of the oral examination for board certification. Participants will have the opportunity to observe simulations of these portions of the oral exam. At the end of this session, participants should be prepared to work toward the board certification oral examination. |
| 34. Distinguished Neuropsychologist Award Lecture Recipient: Jacobus Donders, PhD, ABPP |
| 35. Award Reception for Jacobus Donders |
| Saturday, June 25, 2022 |
| 36. Disruptive Technology Presents: Reimagining Memory Assessment Through Theory, Virtual Reality, and Other Novel Technologies (e.g., Eye Tracking, SEEG) Daniel L. Drane, PhD, ABPP, Thomas Parsons, PhD, Timothy McMahan, PhD, Anne M. Cleary, PhD, Nigel P. Pedersen, MD, & Keith Adams A series of brief talks will discuss how models of memory functioning are being challenged by data available from minimally invasive surgical procedures available in the context of epilepsy surgery (e.g., structure-function relationships, memory subcomponents). We demonstrate the use of available technologies to assess memory in a more naturalistic and complete manner. For example, one talk will demonstrate that videography can be used to explore the integration of sensory information in the learning process rather than simply studying material-specific aspects of memory, allow one to examine the interplay of conceptual information in a spatial and contextual plane, and provide tasks that have alternate forms possessing never before seen levels of compatible complexity. A combination of talks will explore the manner in which virtual reality paradigms can be used to further ecological validity and precision measurement of learning and associated physiological brain changes. This in tandem use of technologies create opportunities to parse memory into multiple subcomponents while furthering the opportunity to measure these functions over longer time periods that allow for tracking longer-term memory consolidation and degradation. We also demonstrate how informational gains can be used to shape test presentation, such as allowing examiners to vary item presentation to adjust to personal performance level both to maintain task engagement and to optimize test efficiency. We touch upon the use of physiological biomarkers and socio-emotional factors to alter retention patterns, explore how components of sleep may contribute to consolidation over time, and examine how novel measures of phenomenological aspects of memory (e.g., déjá vu, familiarity) may help us to craft novel models of memory theory (e.g., exploring how basic pattern recognition may interact with these variables to produce changes in both internal and external allocation of attention to determine what gets attended to and ultimately learned). Novel ideas about assessment techniques and memory theory should be fed back into the process of test development and the shaping of clinical practice. A series of five 15-20-minute talks delivered by neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, a neurophilosopher, a professional game designer, and a special effects artist will be moderated by Dr. Daniel Drane to be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion. |
| 37. Conversion (Functional Neurologic) Disorder: Past, Present, and Future Kyle Brauer Boone, PhD, ABPP In Conversion Disorder, patients are thought to create CNS symptoms, which normally are under voluntary control, on a nonconscious basis due to psychological impetuses. In this workshop will be covered the historical genesis of conversion disorder and whether early clinicians actually considered the symptoms to be produced nonconsciously, and how the concept of nonconscious creation of conversion disorder symptoms became "canonized" in the field of mental health. Societal factors that were present in the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s that might have promoted the view that CNS symptoms can be produced nonconsciously will also be explored, and whether current society continues to support that perspective. Research showing that conversion disorder symptom production is likely conscious will be presented, and it will be argued that neuropsychologists have an emerging role in the identification of deliberate creation of conversion symptoms through use of PVTs. The treatment implications of viewing conversion disorder symptoms as nonconscious will be addressed, namely, does it help or hinder treatment? |
| 38. Testing the "Untestable" Patient: Non-Standard Neuropsychological Testing Strategies that Work Jacqueline Kaufman, PhD & Sarah Lahey, PhD, ABPP While standard neuropsychological testing protocols are followed whenever possible, for some patients, test procedures are not accessible. This workshop focuses on strategies for testing those patients who are unable to engage in standard testing, turning to both the chronic outpatient context as well as the acute inpatient and new-onset context. An overview will be provided regarding adapted testing and the populations and clinical questions for which these approaches may be most helpful. Confidence in patient responses is discussed in the context of assessing for reliable dichotomous choice making. The workshop includes specific examples and demonstration of adapted assessment techniques using standard measures including research supporting utility of these approaches. Turning to the inpatient setting, the final portion of the workshop will discuss assessment of patients with disordered states of consciousness and adaptations to ensure improved diagnostics and monitoring of change. |
| 39. An Evidence-Based Approach to Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Robert L. Mapou, PhD, ABPP & Gretchen Schoenfield, PhD, ABPP With autism spectrum disorder (ASD) being discussed more on social media, neuropsychologists are seeing increased referrals of adults for ASD assessment. There is also an increased emphasis on recognizing neurodiversity. Some referred adults have complex histories with no prior diagnosis, requiring the neuropsychologist to sort through possible diagnoses, while others need an updated assessment for previously diagnosed ASD or Asperger's disorder. This workshop will provide overview of assessment of ASD in adults. First, a summary of the limited research on ASD in adults will be presented, with a focus on assessment methods and the concept of neurodiversity. Next, a proposed assessment model, based on the first author's work over the past five years (Mapou, in press) will be presented. Third, intervention and supports for adults with ASD will be covered briefly. Finally, case examples from the workshop presenters' clinical practices will be presented. |
