Preliminary validation of the neuropsychological processing concerns checklist

When conducting a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, determining a starting point can be challenging. Referral questions are often vague, and parent or teacher concerns can be ambiguous. Thus, there is a need for a tool that allows parents and teachers to identify their concerns while also providing a framework for school neuropsychologists. The Neuropsychological Processing Concerns Checklist (NPCC; Miller, 2007) was developed with the intent to provide professionals with a framework to organize neuropsychological assessment, interpretation, and intervention. The NPCC includes seven neuropsychological functions including: sensorimotor functions, attention problems, language functions, memory and learning functions, executive functions, and speed and efficiency of cognitive processing. Academic functions within the area of reading, writing, and mathematics are also included in the NPCC to give professionals more information about academic concerns. The purpose of this study was to determine the factor structure of the NPCC. The data used in this study was excerpted from archival data from case studies submitted as part of KIDS Inc. School Neuropsychology Post Graduate Certification Program. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted for both parent and teacher responses to evaluate the factor structure of the NPCC with the prime intent of exploring how Miller's (2007) proposed theoretical model is explained by the instrument's items. Results revealed a factor structure that contained 19 factors. Of these factors, there were constructs similar to Miller's (2007) model as well as other narrower constructs within a broader neuropsychological domain for both parent and teacher raters.