Neurobehavioral
and Psychosocial Evaluation Core (NPEC)
The Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Evaluation Core (NPEC) consists of two related services, the Neurobehavioral Infant/Toddler service and the Neurobehavioral Child and Adolescent service. The overall goal of the NPEC is to provide state-of-the-art consultation and assessment services to researchers, utilizing reliable and valid measures of cognition, behavior, and social factors. Services measure neuropsychological and psychosocial parameters including cognition, behavior, social and environmental measures, and family dynamics. The Core also provides consultation on neuropsychological factors and functional MRI applications for research on neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.
NPEC services include:
-
Availability of a library of standardized and well validated measures
appropriate for behavioral phenotyping of children, adolescents,
and adults to assist researchers;
- Consultation
to investigators to precisely and reliably define their study
populations (behavioral phenotyping);
- Consultation
regarding the establishment of appropriate timing and sequencing
of interventions and assessments in order to minimize bias or
practice effects and to detect developmental trajectories and
changes related to interventions;
- Assistance
in the development and validation of measures used in behavioral
phenotyping;
- Facilitate
the selection of optimal assessment tools and instruments to test
hypotheses, including the use of tasks for functional neuroimaging;
- Performance
of assessments of infants, children and adolescents as specified
in GAC- approved research protocols. This includes the administration,
scoring, and interpretation of psychological and neuropsychological
tests and measures;
- Assistance
to investigators in obtaining consultants or collaborators with
skills in behavioral phenotyping and instrumentation, or with
unique specialty areas (e.g. neuropsychological testing with infants,
electrophysiological measures).
- Training
for research assistants and other research staff in obtaining
consent and assent.
Investigators are encouraged to consult with: Core Director Gerard
Gioia, PhD to discuss the available research services and for Neurobehavioral
Child and Adolescent studies for children 3 years and older. Penny
Glass, PhD for Neurobehavioral Infant/Toddler studies, children
3 years or younger. If you have questions regarding the use of the
NPEC Lab or would like assistance please contact Dr. Gioia at ggioia@cnmc.org.
or Sybille Swanson at 202-476-2838 or email at sswanson@cnmc.org
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