title: Performance on the NEPSY among children with spina bifida.
abstract: Usefulness of the NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY) to assess attention/executive function skills was examined in a sample of 30 children with spina bifida and shunted hydrocephalus (SBSH; 20 females/10 males; age range: 6-12 years). Statistically significant moderate-to-strong correlations between the NEPSY and other measures of executive functioning were obtained. The strength of these associations decreased when controlling for intelligence as measured by the WISC-III. The Attention and Executive Function domain appeared more closely associated with tests requiring focused attention and an ability to shift set than those emphasizing more abstract reasoning, memory, or non-verbal problem-solving skills. The NEPSY appears useful in the assessment of specific executive function abilities in young individuals with SBSH. More research into the NEPSY and particularly its Attention and Executive Function domain is needed among individuals with SBSH before its use as a stand-alone tool apart from adjunctive cognitive assessment instruments.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, TX 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX, 75219, USA. russ.riddle@tsrh.org
authors.forename: Russ
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riddle
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Behroze
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vachha
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*