Prospectus

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Clinical Neuropsychology

Course
2021-2022

Entry requirements

All 60 ec of the first-year in Psychology obtained.

Description

One in 5 people will suffer at some point in their life from a brain disorder such as autism, encephalitis, cerebral confusion, a stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia or dementia. Patients with a (suspected) brain disorder are often referred to a clinical neuropsychologist. Neuropsychologists specialise in the quantitative mapping of the nature, severity and development of cognitive (concentration disorders, forgetfulness, aphasia, etc.), emotional and behavioural disorders (personality change, depression, etc.) and their treatment and management. Clinical neuropsychologists also need a sound knowledge of the structure, and functioning of the healthy (developing) and diseased brain and what affects it. Clinical neuropsychology is developing into an increasingly evidence-based practice that focuses on quality improvement, effectiveness and efficiency. This requires clinical neuropsychologists to develop academic skills in accordance with the ‘scientist-practitioner’ model.

Course objectives

Students will acquire:

  • An understanding of the broad work field of clinical neuropsychologists and the ability to apply this understanding. The focus lies on knowledge of various neurological and psychiatric disorders, their underlying pathology, as well as the methods and techniques used to diagnose and treat them;

  • Knowledge of the neurocognitive domains and associated impairments

  • Oral and written skills that allow them to present a current (clinical) neuropsychological theme/topic.

Timetable

For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable

Registration

NOTE As of the academic year 2021-2022, you must register for all courses in uSis. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July. Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from December.
The exact date on which the registration starts will be published on the website of the Student Service Center (SSC). First year Bachelor students as well as premaster students will be registered by the Student Service Center; they do not need to register themselves.

The registration period for all courses closes five calendar days before the start of the course.
Also read the complete registration procedure

Elective

Elective students have to enroll for each course separately. For admission requirements contact your study advisor.

Mode of instruction

8 2-hour lectures (weblectures are available; English language)
8 2-hour work group sessions (attendance is mandatory; Dutch and English language)

The lectures cover a combination of neuropsychological theory and its application to clinical and/or academic practice. The work group sessions – which represent a broadening/deepening of the lectures and required reading – cover the following aspects: practicing neuropsychological diagnostics and interventions, patient demonstrations (including video case-based reasoning), neuroanatomy, and recent scientific developments in the field of neuropsychology. Students are required to present (1) about brain structures in relation to neurocognitive disorders and (2) about the neuropsychological consequences of neurological disorders, including a student-led discussion on a controversial theme.

Assessment method

The final mark consists of the mark for the examination (60%; minimum mark 5) and an assignment mark (40%; minimum mark 5).

The examination consists of 40 multiple-choice and 5 essay questions. The examination covers both the book mentioned below and the lectures. The multiple-choice and essay questions are in English. The essay questions may be answered in Dutch or English.

For the graded assignment students write a paper on a current (clinical) neuropsychological topic.

Course passed = pass mark in the examination (minimum grade 5) + pass mark for work group session attendance (minimum attendance of 75%) + pass mark for the assignment (minimum grade 5) and a weighted average of 5,5 or higher.

The Institute of Psychology uses fixed rules for grade calculation and compulsory attendance. It also follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of these three policies.

Information about the post-exam consultation will become available on Brightspace after the examination.

Reading list

Kessels, R., Eling, P., Ponds, R., Spikman, J. & van Zandvoort, M. Clinical Neuropsychology. Boom Publishers Amsterdam, 2017. ISBN 9789089537591.

Contact information

Dr. Karin van der Hiele Neuropsy@fsw.leidenuniv.nl