An abbreviated neuropsychological battery in multiple sclerosis vocational rehabilitation: findings and implications.

Objective: To establish the utility of an economic neuropsychological battery for use in multiple sclerosis (MS) vocational rehabilitation. Design: Review of prior batteries, test selection and use with consecutive referrals, descriptive statistics, and review of normative data. Participants: Thirty-seven individuals with MS consecutively referred to a specialized neurological vocational rehabilitation program. Main Outcome Measures: Mean scores on a battery of neuropsychological tests. Results: Verbal intelligence fell in the high average range, with no remarkable variance. Memory function, problem solving/abstraction, and cognitive efficiency (multitasking) were lower than would have been predicted from intellectual ability. Conclusions: Counseling implications include the possibility that clients/counselors overestimate clients' abilities on the basis of verbal presentation alone; clients may experience confusion or frustration when job performance is not on par with verbal performance; appropriate job match may be problematic due to overall decline in those cognitive abilities critical in complex professional jobs. Average verbal skills may not be sufficient.