Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological battery

5 original tests designed to assess cognitive dysfunction. Procedure: 1) category test - discerning the principle embedded in arrangements of figures & shapes 2) tactual performance test - placing different shaped blocks without vision 3) rhythm test a) from Seashore test of musical talent b) judging similarity of auditory rhythmic pattern 4) speech sound perception test - identifying spoken nonsense syllables 5) finger oscillation test - tapping a mechanic counter as fast as possible Frequent additions to these 5 tests include: 1) trailmaking test 2) aphasia screening test of Halstead & Wepman 3) Wechsler memory scale Interpretation: - the Halstead-Reitan battery yields 7 scores from which an impairment index is derived by adding the number of defective scores & dividing by 7 - the battery distinguishes patients with & without cognitive impairment - it does not distinguish psychiatric from neurologic disorders

References

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, Osterweil et al eds, McGraw Hill, New York, 2000, pg 100