Nuances of the Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Evaluation

Our aim in this chapter is to summarize a thorough pediatric neuropsychiatric examination that can be tailored to a variety of clinical needs. A range of referral types can come to those open to receiving children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric conditions. Sometimes, there is a known neurological illness that is thought to be contributing to psychiatric symptoms. An example of this might be an identified epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, or encephalitis that has been complicated by psychiatric symptoms either secondary to or comorbid with the underlying illness. At other times, the clinician will be asked to assist in work-up and diagnostic clarification for a child who presents with symptoms that cross disciplines, such as atypical psychosis, treatment-refractory attentional and dysexecutive symptoms, unusual abnormal movements, etc.