Best Practices in School Neuropsychology

The updates to this second edition make it easy to say that we still live in an exciting time in school neuropsychology. However, prior to its publication, we have been broadsided by a pandemic that has affected all areas of our practice. At the time ofthis writing, studies on how SARS-2-CoV (Covid-19) affects pediatric populations are few and far between. The American Academy of Pediatrics is imploring the federal government to provide funding for more intensive care beds, thousands of children have been hospitalized, and hundreds of thousands are grieving the loss of primary caregivers. School-based personnel are trying to disentangle the effects of tele-instruction, loss of instruction, loss of school supervision, new disabilities, family stress, exacerbation of existing disabilities, and mental health issues on how children are functioning back in school. Of course, most kids are going to be fine. Regardless of whether they contract Covid-19, they will have the supports and constitution to weather this unprecedented and awfully long event. However, in school neuropsychology, we do not see these students - we see only those who have suffered many setbacks and have encountered extremely stressful issues. Also, at this point, few school systems and organizations are talking about the fact that Covid-19 easily crosses into the central nervous system and the blood-brain barrier. The exact mechanisms are not known at this time, but all point to some students contracting a long-haul version where brain fog and concentration, memory, sleep, and energy issues stay for a chronic period and significantly impact the child's ability to meet the demands of everyday living. This is where the school neuropsychologist can help the most! We will have to lead the wayfor school personnel, not just assuming that lack of instruction or depression is the reason for poor school performance. We will have to educate others about what can happen when bacteria and viruses invade the brain, and we will have to help measure and name what is going on so that interventions will work. This post-pandemic era will create gaps in practice that only school neuropsychology can fill, and we can take our knowledge from this book and lead with certainty in an uncertain age--