Cognitive Assessment Springfield

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NDIS Eligibility

There are many types of tests requirements for an Australian resident to be entitled to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). NDIS is a program of the Australian government that aims to help support people with disabilities. Disabilities in areas like intellectual, sensory, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial are included in the said program.

However, the NDIS is not a support program that any person who goes to the hospital’s counter can get. This is because identifying a patient’s disability is extremely hard and requires a certain level of knowledge and experience, not to mention that there are people who try to fake their disability to take advantage of the program. To answer this problem, several types of testing, including physical and mental examinations were included in the process of getting the NDIS Program.

Cognitive Testing

Compared to physical, and sensory disabilities, cognitive disabilities are harder to observe. A physical disability may manifest in a form of an anomaly in the body part (ex. broken limbs/organ or lack of body part) of the patient and a sensory disability may be in a form of loss of hearing. A cognitive disability, on the other hand, can be in a form of a hard time in reading or computing basic mathematical equations. In general, cognitive disabilities require more complex testing and specific equipment aimed to identify the type of cognitive disability. This is where cognitive ability tests come into play.

Cognitive Ability Test or Cognitive Testing is a type of assessment used to measure a person’s cognitive capabilities and conditions. Cognitive Testing is used to confirm a person’s cognitive disability, detect early signs of disabilities, or as simple as a child’s IQ. People with MCI or mild cognitive impairment can also be detected by cognitive testing and may prevent it from getting worse (for example, escalation of Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease).

There are many reasons for having MCI and other cognitive disabilities. Some of the causes for cognitive disabilities are side effects of medicines, traumatic experiences, blood vessels disorders, and depression. These causes are usually detected by psychologists and psychiatrists during cognitive testing and other types of examinations.

Take note that taking cognitive tests does not automatically mean that a person is disabled. Some people take cognitive testing for school admissions, job qualifications, licences, etc.

Types of Cognitive Testing

There are many different types of cognitive testing around the world, but we only need to discuss those available in Australia, specifically in Springfield. The most common tests in Australia are:

  • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – IV

  • Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

  • Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)

  • Mini-Cog

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is a compilation of 10 unique subtests that focuses on the verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed domain of adults. The test includes visual puzzles, figure weights, and cancellation tests. The product’s normative data is for ages 16-90 but is more enhanced for older adults.

The visual puzzles use questions that stimulate the patient to solve a puzzle using perceptual reasoning composite. The Figure Weights Puzzle also uses perceptual reasoning composites but in terms of measuring quantities and analogical reasoning. Lastly, the Cancellation Test measures the patient’s processing speed composite. None of them require motor skills.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Like the WAIS, the Wechsler is also a compilation of different subtests that aims to compute a child’s IQ. However, unlike the WAIS that is used in adults to find any cognitive disabilities, the WISC is commonly used to qualify for admissions into gifted programs or private schools. There are many versions of WISC, and the most recent one is the WISC-V which includes 10 primary scale-full scale IQ subtest types. These subtests are:

  • Verbal Comprehension (Similarities)

  • Verbal Comprehension (Vocabulary)

  • Visual-Spatial (Block Design)

  • Fluid Reasoning (Matrix Reasoning)

  • Fluid Reasoning (Figure Weights)

  • Working Memory (Digit Span)

  • Processing Speed (Coding)

  • Visual-Spatial (Visual Puzzles)

  • Working Memory (Picture Span)

  • Processing Speed (Symbol Search)

Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Popularly known as MoCA, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a short test that helps professionals to identify whether a patient is experiencing MCI or Dementia. This test includes answering at least 30 questions, depending on the MoCA version, which takes around 10-12 minutes of answering.

The assessment includes testing the memory, executive function, visuospatial ability, language abilities, abstraction, animal naming, attention, and concentration of the patient. The first language is used as the means of examination. After taking the exam, the score is evaluated. Studies show that people with normal controls have an average score of 27.4. People with mild cognitive impairment have an average score of 22.1, and adults with Alzheimer’s disease have an average score of 16.2.

The MoCA is a very popular type of exam used in cognitive testing because it is quick, accurate, and easy to administer to patients.

Mini-Mental State Examination

MMSE is like MoCA because it also screens a patient’s cognitive condition. It aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the cognitive impairment, if any, and its effect on the cognitive condition of the patient over time.

The exam includes testing the following domains:

  • Orientation to time

  • Orientation to place

  • Registration of three words

  • Attention and calculation

  • Recall of three words

  • Language

  • Visual Construction

The average score was found after a study was conducted by Tombaugh & McIntyre in 1992. People with normal conditions have a score range of 24-30 points while people with MCI have a score range of 18-24 and people with severe cognitive conditions have a score range of 0-17.

Mini-Cog

From the name itself, Mini-Cog is a simple test that detects cognitive impairment in older adults. This includes a 3-minute administered test consisting of a 3-item recall test and a scored clock drawing test. This test is a very simple screening test.

Springfield Cognitive Testing

Cognitive testing is an important part of getting NDIS support from the government. In Springfield, there are lots of local clinics that administer Cognitive Testing such as Positive Moods.

For more information, Springfield citizens and residents may Positive Moods on 1300 001 470, email at ndis@positivemoods.com.au, or fill out the contact form on https://www.positivemoods.com.au/contactus.