Review of The handbook of neuropsychological assessment.

Reviews the book, The handbook of neuropsychological assessment by A. Gilandas, S. Touyz, P. J. Beumont, and H. P. Greenberg (1984). This book was written as a clinical/actuarial guide for developing a neuropsychological examination that assesses a broad band of abilities yet is efficient and effective. According to the authors, this 10-chapter handbook was designed for practitioners and students of clinical neuropsychology and is applicable to fields such as school psychology, rehabilitation, psychiatry, and neurology. The authors consider issues central to the practice of clinical neuropsychology, including an overview of theoretical implications, client populations, and issues in neuropsychological assessment. The authors cite delirium, dementia, epilepsy, and organic delusion as some of the major manifestations of brain damage. This volume appropriately details the symptoms, etiology, duration, and treatment of these disorders. It is obvious that school psychologists beginning study in neuropsychology will find a great deal of this volume worthwhile. Of particular interest to school psychologists is the section concerning theoretical implications, which stresses the impact that clinical neuropsychology could have on other applied psychological specialties. Although the majority of the book deals with adults, it seems time to broaden school psychology to such a lifelong focus. So too, after considering the fact that almost 10% of the positions in applied psychology call for neuropsychology-related skills, it appears that such a neuropsychology text could be seen as a necessity when training applied psychologists. Indeed, this book may be an appropriate addition to advanced school psychology assessment courses. Perhaps most impressive are the strategies for revising established neuropsychological test batteries to become comprehensive yet effective tools for understanding brain-behavior relations. However, only time and data will indicate if the revised instruments will prove successful in diagnosing and intervening with cerebrally impaired patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)