In-Person and In-Home Teleneuropsychological Assessments With Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: What’s the Difference?

Abstract

Psychoeducational assessments provide clinicians with the foundation for diagnostic determinations and meaningful recommendations for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the field shifted from seeing clients face-to-face (FTF) to conducting evaluations virtually via teleneuropsychology (TNP) in the client’s own home. The current study sought to determine the equivalence of cognitive and achievement scores obtained in the context of FTF versus TNP testing. Nineteen youth with diverse neurodevelopmental disorders completed the Woodcock Johnson-Fourth Edition (WJ-IV). Results suggest generally equivalent results, with the caveat that scores from measures of Fluid Reasoning and Auditory Processing were significantly different across testing modalities. Environmental factors, characteristics of the clients, administration challenges, technical considerations, and practice effects may have contributed to differences in scores. These findings have implications for assessment standardization, case conceptualization, and implementation of recommendations in the school setting when psychoeducational assessments are conducted virtually.