Cross-Cultural Pre-Surgical Epilepsy Neuropsychological Evaluations in Bilingual Adults

Josh E. Becker, David Denney, Veronica Bordes Edgar, and Anne R. Carlew

Citation

Becker, J. E., Denney, D., Bordes Edgar, V., Carlew, A. R. (2022). Cross-Cultural Pre-Surgical Epilepsy Neuropsychological Evaluations in Bilingual Adults. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 48(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42843-022-00069-2

Abstract

The United States is a diverse nation. As such, it is incumbent upon health service psychologists to provide culturally and linguistically informed services. These diversity-informed neuropsychological evaluations are especially important when involved in high-risk decision-making, such as in pre-surgical evaluations for people with epilepsy. In this article, we discuss the ethical and clinical challenges of pre-surgical neuropsychological evaluation with bilingual individuals, highlighting the limitations in the current knowledge base and the importance of challenging assumptions of traditional neuropsychological measures and normative data. We provide practical resources and references to assist neuropsychologists in designing and conducting high-quality bilingual assessments. Specific recommendations are provided for deciding on language of evaluation, utilizing interpreters, and interpretation of neuropsychological data in high-risk decision-making.

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