Educational Neuropsychology studies the brain and its relationship with behavior in educational settings, always focusing on improving teaching and learning processes. In the words of the author Tokuhama (2011), the transdisciplinary approach of the Mind, Brain, and Education Sciences seeks to understand how humans learn best, so that we can consider better learning-teaching practices adapted to the needs of each student.

💪 What is the objective of Educational Neuropsychology?

To optimize learning at all levels, respecting the neurodiversity and learning pace of each student. To achieve this, Educational Neuropsychology relies on multiple assessment techniques and tools that allow professionals to provide quality of life to each family that requires it.

The field of Educational Neuropsychology in Panama presents great challenges and opportunities. I would like to start by listing the challenges that, in my opinion, this specialty faces in the Panamanian context:

  • ⚡️ To give learning the place it deserves at the level of educational policies: learning is a valuable asset in the growth and development of a country. If we lay the necessary foundations for adequate learning, we are strengthening sustainable development in education, job opportunities, and equal opportunities in today's and tomorrow's globalized world.
  • ⚡️ Learning has no room for improvisation: when a child has learning difficulties, it is appropriate to consider an evaluation, and then proceed with an intervention. Skipping this step would not be ideal, given that each student has their own way of learning supported by very particular and innate strengths and weaknesses due to biological, psychological, neuropsychological, behavioral, social, cultural factors, and factors associated with neurodevelopment.

I would like to conclude with the opportunities that educational neuropsychology faces in the Panamanian context.

Professionalization of Educational Neuropsychology: to expand the presence of educational neuropsychologists throughout the country in order to contribute to addressing various educational issues. To mention some professional fields, I would like to highlight:

  • ✅ That every government institution focused on education has job openings for educational neuropsychologists: MEDUCA, IPHE, INADEH, CAIPI, and higher education institutions would be good examples of this.
  • ✅ Schools like La Escuela Normal Juan Demóstenes Arosemena in Santiago de Veraguas include, within their academic program, academic training for the future educators of the country in subjects related to neuropsychology applied to education. These subjects should be taught by Panamanian educational neuropsychologists. This should align with the draft law 183 that seeks to elevate La Escuela Normal Juan Demóstenes Arosemena to an Autonomous University, so educational neuropsychology should be a fundamental part of projects related to teaching, research, and extension.
  • ✅ At the level of higher education, the faculties of psychology and education of all universities nationwide should be able to hire university professors specializing in Educational Neuropsychology. This would bring the benefit of better educational practices based on neuroscience for the benefit of future teachers and specialists at the national level. Likewise, it would promote research in neuroscience applied to the educational field.
  • ✅ In the case of psychologists who pursue these studies, once they obtain their qualification, the opportunity arises to practice this specialty in specialized centers. This involves neuropsychological evaluation and intervention functions applied to educational contexts.
  • ✅ To develop professional training programs within the educational area, where the importance of implementing, managing, and promoting good teaching practices based on the scientific application of neuroscience to the educational field is valued. An educational neuropsychologist should be a cornerstone within the training programs promoted nationally by MEDUCA, IPHE, and other governmental and private educational organizations in the country.
  • ✅ In the private sector, an educational neuropsychologist would be essential in the constant improvement that every educational center must promote for strengthening educational quality. Likewise, they would be of high value in psychopedagogical cabinets, as they would allow for the coordination of neuropsychological evaluations, thus ensuring compliance with the recommendations made by external specialists within the educational center.
  • ✅ From educational environments, the implementation of academic programs that reinforce neuropsychological functionalities, perceptual processes, attention, memory, executive functioning, motor development, language, socio-emotional skills, and the development of multiple intelligences in students would be promoted.
  • ✅ As mentioned earlier, based on Pilar-Lobo (2016), clinical neuropsychology and educational neuropsychology can work collaboratively. It is not surprising that cases that have gone through clinical neuropsychology later need to be treated by an educational neuropsychologist, since there will usually be a family need to facilitate the student's adaptation in their school environment from a neuropsychological perspective. This would benefit thousands of Panamanian and foreign students who require an evaluation that guarantees optimal conditions to access the universal right to education.

Finally, I would like to answer, relying on reliable sources, a very useful question. What is the difference between neuropsychology, clinical neuropsychology, and educational neuropsychology?

  • 👉🏼 When the discipline of neuropsychology is mentioned, it usually refers to basic neuropsychology, which can have three connotations: the first, focused on the study of physiological neuropsychology (neuroanatomical and biological bases of behavior). Secondly, there is cognitive neuropsychology (study of the structure and functions of the normal cognitive system through patients with brain damage and normal subjects). Educational neuropsychology is considered part of basic neuropsychology and studies the relationship between brain processes and behavior in educational teaching-learning contexts (Pilar-Lobo, 2016).
  • 👉🏼 Clinical neuropsychology belongs to applied neuropsychology and aims to evaluate and intervene in patients with brain damage. It has two major areas of application: neuropsychological evaluation and neuropsychological rehabilitation (Pilar-Lobo, 2016).

💪 “All neuropsychological sciences have common parts. For example, they share the same subjects they study and treat, and even share neuropsychological assessment instruments, knowledge, and treatment. What is the difference? The difference lies in the final objective that each neuropsychological discipline has” (Pilar-Lobo, 2016).

Martin-Lobo, P. and Vergara, E. (2016). Processes and instruments of Educational Neuropsychological Evaluation. Madrid, Spain: Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports: https://n9.cl/ttbse

Tokuhama, T. (2011). Mind, Brain and Education Science Norton & Company.