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Neuropsychological Assessment of Spanish-Speaking Children and Youth

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Abstract

Manolito had been crying since the day the social service department placed him in the second grade. He had been born about 8 years earlier in Central America in a one-room hut with no flooring, electricity, or running water. After a complicated labor of 3 days, he was “black and blue all over” and began to cry only several days after delivery. Although he had been “slow,” he adapted well to life in the rural village; well, that is, until his parents decided to pursue a “better” life in the United States. After several years of migrating from one state to another and from one labor camp to another, his parents had settled for several months in a county with an aggressive social service department. As a consequence, he was placed in a school for the first time. Not knowing English, Manolito was referred to a school psychologist for testing in English. The diagnosis that was reached by this professional was retardation, probably organically caused by such factors as the delivery. Special education classes were the next stop for this maladapted child. Manolito’s case is not only not unusual but occurring with increasing frequency. This chapter addresses some of the major issues in the neuropsychological assessment of children such as Manolito.

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Puente, A.E., Mora, M.S., Munoz-Cespedes, J.M. (1997). Neuropsychological Assessment of Spanish-Speaking Children and Youth. In: Reynolds, C.R., Fletcher-Janzen, E. (eds) Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology. Critical Issues in Neuropsychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5351-6_19

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