May 28, 2003

Waiting for EEG Expert to Print

Author: Sue Othmer

I have for some time used the TOVA as a central part of my assessment. Before EEG Expert I had developed a routine of administering the TOVA and printing out a report after the interview and before the evaluation neurofeedback session. This gave me a chance to take a quick look at the results before training. But I would go over the report in detail with the client after the training session. I got pretty good at reading upside down as I looked at the report from the other side of the desk. I didn’t usually send these reports home with people because they were not self-explanatory. So one copy of the report for the file was sufficient.

When I started using the EEG Expert report on TOVA, I was faced with some new opportunities and some challenges for my normal routine. By attaching an inexpensive color printer to my TOVA computer I could now generate beautiful color reports. The challenge was waiting for the printer to finish printing so I could get started with the neurofeedback session. The TOVA is on my game computer, which has internet access. This is convenient until I need to wait for it to print. To make matters worse, I really want two copies of the report. The EEG Expert report on TOVA contains a clear description of the test and all the variables. It presents the data graphically and makes interpretive statements regarding the client’s performance. I find this an excellent report to send home with clients, which can then be shown to other family members. They get to take home a measure of where they are starting. And I would rather they look forward to an improved TOVA report than improved brain waves. I find TOVA performance a much more reliable measure of progress. But it takes a really long time to print two copies, so I have a problem.

My first solution was to start showing the EEG Expert TOVA report to the client on the computer screen while the report was printing. This actually works well. I can use the mouse to scroll through the printable version of the report and point to details on the screen. I can go back and forth between the interpretive statements and the data that support them. For retests I can now open two windows for the test and retest and look at them side-by-side. The report looks best on the screen and the whole process is fairly impressive when the report is generated on-line. My second change was to start using a black and white laser printer on our network. Since I was showing the full-color version in the office, it seemed fine for the client to take home a black and white copy. I can choose to print two copies and select collate, so they come out separately. So for now my new routine is established and working well.

For those who have had difficulty getting started with EEG Expert, I have posted Quick Guides for setup and use for computers with or without internet access. These should lead you through the initial process. Once you get started it is pretty easy.