Assessment of Your Condition

Dr.Robert Kohn knows that the proper diagnosis leads to the proper treatment. He assesses your symptoms using his Biological-Psychological-Social framework, explained in Our Approach to Healing.

Using a variety of the following Assessment Tools, information is gathered which is vital to a successful outcome.

Quotient Test

The Quotient test is a patented continuous performance computer test that gathers information on head and leg motion, attention, focus, inhibition and timing. It is an extensively well-studied test that references children, teens and adults with ADHD/ADD compared to controls. Dr. Kohn uses Quotient testing in his evaluation of ADHD/ADD as well as evaluating complaints of attention processing in other disorders such as Mood Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, Tourette Syndrome and Autism.

IVA+Plus Test

The IVA+Plus test is a computer based continuous performance test that compares visual and auditory attention skills of focus, discrimination and maintenance of attention. In his practice, Dr. Kohn uses the IVA+Plus for the same conditions that the Quotient Test is used for. These include ADHD/ADD, Mood Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, Tourette Syndrome and Autism.

NEO 5 Factor Personality Test

The Neo 5 is a computerized analysis of five core personality traits. Each trait is measured in a range of much less than average to much more than normal. The five traits include:

• Neuroticism- the dimension of self discontent, emotional turmoil
• Extroversion- the dimension of social connectedness
• Open Mindedness- the dimension of mental flexibility and curiosity to novelty
• Agreeableness- the dimension of interpersonal alignment that includes cognitive and emotional flexibility
• Conscientiousness- the dimension of mental, emotional and physical persistence in pursuit of goals.

The overall report has clinical relevance to both emotional and cognitive disorders seen in mental illness or brain injury. Dr Kohn uses this test with older teens and adults.

Brain SPECT Scan

Listen to Dr. Kohn.  
The Brain SPECT Scan is a nuclear medicine test. It measures blood flow in the brain which is directly related to brain activity.

Brain SPECT Scan is used as a tool in the clinical evaluation process to help view areas of brain activity and relate them to presenting symptoms. Symptoms and signs are clustered based in part, on the brain networks activated.

Symptoms include those observations made by the person or parent, while signs refer to those findings noted on clinical examination. Common symptoms include sadness, anger, rage, worry, obsessions-compulsions, fear-panic, fatigue, loss of motivation or will, distractibility and inattention. Common signs include weight loss, agitation, mood lability, illogical, tangential or circumstantial thinking.

The human brain is a system of interconnections that coordinate the many functions that make us who we are; our personality, our aptitude, our interests, our emotional state, etc. The working of one brain region is networked to process information from other regions. Like a traffic officer that directs cars to move in and out of an intersection; brain systems allow one part to function or "come on line" while influencing another part to decrease its function or "come off line".

Using Brain SPECT Scan imaging in the field of neurology and psychiatry allows visualization of these brain regions in action (blood flow). While there are patterns that are common to each diagnosis, patterns often overlap. This is seen clinically as the phenomenon of co-morbidity.

Dr. Kohn uses the Brain SPECT Scan to assess Traumatic Brain Injury and many other conditions. Dr. Kohn is using the Brain SPECT Scanner at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and no longer provides in-house scanning. 

QEEG Test

The QEEG is a digital analysis of an EEG. The "quantitative analysis" of the EEG creates a map of brain wave frequency distributions that range from 1 Hz to more than 30Hz. This map is used to direct the location for treatment and type of Neurofeedback Therapy.

An example of this technique may include applying Neurofeedback to increase the brain wave frequency over an area of localized brain wave slowing (due to an injury) or to decrease the brain wave frequency over an area of localized brain wave increase (due to clinical anxiety).

Actigraphy

Actigraphy evaluates circadian rhythms in Sleep, Mood Disorders and ADHD/ADD. It is a technique that uses a wrist monitor to measure body movements in states of acceleration or deceleration. The device records information over a period of wakefulness and sleep for at least 24 hours. The overall motion pattern analysis is compared with populations of persons with Sleep Disorders, Mood Disorders and ADHD/ADD. A report, helping to clarify the diagnosis, is completed based on the likelihood of a clinical correlation with the above conditions.

Keirsey Temperament Inventory (Coming Soon)

The Keirsey Inventory is a computerized personality assessment based on the work of David Keirsey. It is used with older teens and adults. He identifies four general temperaments that include the following

• Artisans
• Guardians
• Idealists
• Rationals

The analysis of personality type or temperament is a useful tool in determining the meaning of one's symptoms in social settings. Symptoms include behaviors, feelings and thoughts that are expressed across settings such as romance, friendship, career, family, hobbies,etc.
See www.keirsey.com