A survey of report writing by neuropsychologists, II: Test data, report format, and document length

Data are presented regarding current practices in the organization of neuro psychological reports, based on a representative sample of 414 US members o f Division 40 of the American Psychological Association. The vast majority of the sample included some numeric test data in their reports, either with in the text or as an addendum. The nature of the most predominant age group s and diagnostic categories served by neuropsychologists was of prominent i nfluence on variables such as the frequency of utilization of age- and grad e-equivalent scores, the inclusion of specific diagnostic codes, the provis ion of narrative recommendations, and the practice of deferring report dist ribution until after review with the patient or family. In addition. greate r involvement with forensic evaluations in a medicolegal context through pr ivate practice tended to increase length of reports. It is concluded that, although there are many areas of consensus in the field with regard to the organization of neuropsychological reports, the final product needs to be s haped on the basis of consideration of the clinical presentation of the pat ient as well as the needs and knowledge base of the target audience.