INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 11 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 10:45 am - 12:00 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology \| Education/Training \| Professional Practice Issues Final Abstract #67 Pediatric Neuropsychology: The Current Standing on Training Opportunities for the Growing Demand for Board Certified Pediatric Neuropsychologists Veronica Milito, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States Cristina Robles, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States Jessie Beshara, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States Pia Parekh, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States Briana Calcagno-Davi, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States Category: Career Development/Education/Training Keyword 1: pediatric neuropsychology Keyword 2: neuropsychological assessment Keyword 3: child brain injury Objective: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), over 40% of school-aged children in the United States suffer from a chronic health condition. The recent increase in survival rates among children with chronic health conditions has emphasized the long-term negative effects on brain development and neurocognition (Compas et al., 2017). Pediatric neuropsychologists are uniquely equipped to determine the cognitive impact secondary to medical disorders on the developing brain and provide tailored recommendations to overcome cognitive dysfunction to support medical management. As the need for pediatric neuropsychologists subsequently rises, waitlists at many facilities have reached over one year (Cass et al., 2020). Despite the growing need for services, there continues to be a lack of qualified and board-certified clinicians and accredited training sites that provide specialized pediatric training. The goal of the present research is to illuminate the need for additional pediatric-focused, accredited training sites as well as practicing board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists and to provide a call to action to create additional training opportunities in a rapidly growing and in-demand subspecialty. Participants and Methods: To obtain the number of internship training sites, the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) internship match directory was searched. Sites that disclosed pediatric neuropsychology as a major area of study were included. Similarly, postdoctoral fellowship training opportunities with a pediatric or lifespan focus found through the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) match were considered. To obtain the number of board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology (AAPdN) directories were reviewed. Results: According to the AACN, there are 1,046 practicing psychologists board-certified in clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology in the United States as of August 2023. However, of those, only 122 are board certified in the pediatric subspeciality. In addition, only 90 practicing psychologists are board certified in pediatric neuropsychology through the AAPdN. Presently, there are only 55 pediatric-focused accredited neuropsychology internship sites. Furthermore, there are only 34 accredited neuropsychology post-doctoral fellowship sites with pediatric focused tracks allowing for 45 positions and 9 lifespan sites, allowing for a total of 11 positions. Conclusions: Pediatric neuropsychologists provide integral care to pediatric patients through several avenues including but not limited to pre-surgical evaluations, lateralization/localization of deficits, rehabilitation, and reintegration. However, accessibility to the knowledge of adequate training opportunities and eventual certification in the field is complex. For example, as there are a multitude of certification boards and post-doctoral match/non-match processes, it can be difficult to determine the adequate fit for a clinician’s career and training goals. This barrier limits the number of clinicians able to enter the field. Therefore, while over 14 million children in the United States suffer from a chronic medical condition with accompanied neurocognitive deficits, this is more than 66,000 times the number of board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023). Until this discrepancy is rectified, children across the United States with neurocognitive disorders secondary to chronic health conditions will continue to be underserved.

Poster

02/17/2024
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology | Education/Training | Professional Practice Issues

Final Abstract #67

Pediatric Neuropsychology: The Current Standing on Training Opportunities for the Growing Demand for Board Certified Pediatric Neuropsychologists

Veronica Milito, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States
Cristina Robles, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States
Jessie Beshara, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States
Pia Parekh, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States
Briana Calcagno-Davi, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States

Category: Career Development/Education/Training

Keyword 1: pediatric neuropsychology
Keyword 2: neuropsychological assessment
Keyword 3: child brain injury

Objective:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), over 40% of school-aged children in the United States suffer from a chronic health condition. The recent increase in survival rates among children with chronic health conditions has emphasized the long-term negative effects on brain development and neurocognition (Compas et al., 2017). Pediatric neuropsychologists are uniquely equipped to determine the cognitive impact secondary to medical disorders on the developing brain and provide tailored recommendations to overcome cognitive dysfunction to support medical management. As the need for pediatric neuropsychologists subsequently rises, waitlists at many facilities have reached over one year (Cass et al., 2020). Despite the growing need for services, there continues to be a lack of qualified and board-certified clinicians and accredited training sites that provide specialized pediatric training. The goal of the present research is to illuminate the need for additional pediatric-focused, accredited training sites as well as practicing board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists and to provide a call to action to create additional training opportunities in a rapidly growing and in-demand subspecialty.

Participants and Methods:

To obtain the number of internship training sites, the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) internship match directory was searched. Sites that disclosed pediatric neuropsychology as a major area of study were included. Similarly, postdoctoral fellowship training opportunities with a pediatric or lifespan focus found through the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) match were considered. To obtain the number of board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology (AAPdN) directories were reviewed.

Results:

According to the AACN, there are 1,046 practicing psychologists board-certified in clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology in the United States as of August 2023. However, of those, only 122 are board certified in the pediatric subspeciality. In addition, only 90 practicing psychologists are board certified in pediatric neuropsychology through the AAPdN. Presently, there are only 55 pediatric-focused accredited neuropsychology internship sites. Furthermore, there are only 34 accredited neuropsychology post-doctoral fellowship sites with pediatric focused tracks allowing for 45 positions and 9 lifespan sites, allowing for a total of 11 positions.

Conclusions:

Pediatric neuropsychologists provide integral care to pediatric patients through several avenues including but not limited to pre-surgical evaluations, lateralization/localization of deficits, rehabilitation, and reintegration. However, accessibility to the knowledge of adequate training opportunities and eventual certification in the field is complex. For example, as there are a multitude of certification boards and post-doctoral match/non-match processes, it can be difficult to determine the adequate fit for a clinician’s career and training goals. This barrier limits the number of clinicians able to enter the field. Therefore, while over 14 million children in the United States suffer from a chronic medical condition with accompanied neurocognitive deficits, this is more than 66,000 times the number of board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023). Until this discrepancy is rectified, children across the United States with neurocognitive disorders secondary to chronic health conditions will continue to be underserved.