title: 'Trails B or not Trails B?' Is attention-switching a useful outcome measure?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Difficulties with attention contribute to behavioural and cognitive problems during childhood and may reflect subtle deficits in executive functioning (EF). Attention problems in early childhood have also been found to predict higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms at 10 years old. It has also been reported that attention problems during childhood may be differentially related to later-emerging distinct EF difficulties. Many of these findings, however, rely on teacher-ratings of attention difficulties.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study administered neuropsychological tests of attention-switching and EF to 67 healthy children aged 9-15 years of age. It additionally measured socio-emotional behavioural functioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A critical phase of improvement was found at 10 years of age. Correlations were found between attention-switching skills and EF. Attention-switching skills were also correlated with socio-emotional functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attention-switching skills have some interdependence with EF, but in paediatric assessment such skills are easier to routinely assess than many of the currently available tests of EF. It is suggested that attention-switching ability may prove to be a useful predictor of EF performance in understanding long-term outcome after a neurological event such as traumatic brain injury.
authors: School of Psychology, University of Exeter , Exeter, Devon , UK. j.tonks@exeter.ac.uk
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Tonks
authors: W Huw
authors: WH
authors: Williams
authors: Luke
authors: L
authors: Mounce
authors: Duncan
authors: D
authors: Harris
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Frampton
authors: Phil
authors: P
authors: Yates
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Slater
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014145:Trail Making Test