Treatment is defined as an application that is intended to relieve a health problem. Similar terms are: therapy, rehabilitation and remediation. In the context of neuropsychology, common terms are: cognitive rehabilitation, cognitive retraining, cognitive remediation and neuro-psychotherapy.
In essence, there are three major approaches to relieving neuropsychological disorders:
- Compensation. This involves utilisation of intact skills to compensate for weaknesses.
- Remediation. This involves restoring lost functions, usually by undertaking repetitive exercises.
- Referral to appropriate specialised services. Because brain dysfunction is often complex, it is best addressed by relevant multidisciplinary input.
The cornerstone of effective neuropsychological treatment is comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.