The Neuropsychology of Competitive Employment: Measurement of Essential Mental Abilities

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SSA has identified a number of “mental abilities” that are important for “any job.” These include: (1) Understanding, carrying out, and remembering simple instructions; (2) use of judgment; (3) responding appropriately to supervision, coworkers, and usual work situations; and (4) dealing with changes in a routine work-setting. Often, a claimant is referred to a neuropsychologist who administers a battery of psychometric tests to help determine that claimant’s functioning with regard to these mental abilities. The purpose of this seminar is to familiarize legal professionals with the role of a neuropsychologist in determining a person’s ability to function optimally in a work setting; to discuss the underlying cognitive abilities (e.g., simple and complex attention, executive functioning, learning/memory, receptive and expressive language, abstract reasoning) that support successful employment; and to describe how “mental abilities” are measured in a typical neuropsychological evaluation. Much emphasis will be placed on executive functioning, defined as that set of interrelated control processes involved in the planning, initiation, maintenance, and monitoring of goal-directed behavior. Related psychiatric factors (e.g., psychosis, serious mood disturbance, substance use) that can impact occupational functioning also will be discussed.
Dr. Ernest J. Aucone is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who has extensive experience assessing adults with a variety of complex conditions, including psychiatric, developmental, neurological, and medical disorders. In addition to his work at The Stixrud Group, he serves as the Director of Neuropsychology Services at the Washington DC Veteran’s Administration Medical Center. Dr. Aucone did his graduate work at Nova Southeastern University, his APA accredited internship at the Boston VA Healthcare System/Harvard Medical School, and his postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of Virginia. His clinical and research interests include adult ADHD and learning disorders, traumatic brain injury, differential diagnosis of dementia, multiple sclerosis, and forensic neuropsychology.

Jennifer Strang

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Dr.\sDr. Jennifer Strang is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist. She has over fifteen years of experience assessing adults with a wide range of conditions, including neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, dementia, multiple sclerosis), psychiatric disorders (e.g., PTSD, depression, persistent mental illness), concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), moderate and severe TBI, ADHD, and learning disorders. Dr. Strang has extensive experience working with the military population at Fort Belvoir, VA. In addition to providing clinical services, she assisted in the development of the TBI Clinic at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. She also served as the TBI Program Manager for the Northern Regional Medical Command, U.S. Army where she oversaw the TBI programs at all the military treatment facilities in the northeast region of the United States. In addition to her work at the Stixrud Group, she provides neuropsychological services to veterans at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and serves as the neuropsychology training coordinator. Dr. Strang also has experience as a behavioral health consultant to skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.

Dr. Strang completed her graduate education at Arizona State University, her predoctoral internship at the Buffalo VA Medical Center, and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Gentiva Rehab Without Walls, an outpatient neurorehabilitation program for acquired and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Strang has presented at national conferences on a variety of neuropsychology-related topics and has contributed to the field as a reviewer of psychometric tests. Her clinical and research interests include cognitive rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, dementia, and the cognitive effects of psychiatric disorders.

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