title: Functional plasticity in childhood brain disorders: when, what, how, and whom to assess.
abstract: At every point in the lifespan, the brain balances malleable processes representing neural plasticity that promote change with homeostatic processes that promote stability. Whether a child develops typically or with brain injury, his or her neural and behavioral outcome is constructed through transactions between plastic and homeostatic processes and the environment. In clinical research with children in whom the developing brain has been malformed or injured, behavioral outcomes provide an index of the result of plasticity, homeostasis, and environmental transactions. When should we assess outcome in relation to age at brain insult, time since brain insult, and age of the child at testing? What should we measure? Functions involving reacting to the past and predicting the future, as well as social-affective skills, are important. How should we assess outcome? Information from performance variability, direct measures and informants, overt and covert measures, and laboratory and ecological measures should be considered. In whom are we assessing outcome? Assessment should be cognizant of individual differences in gene, socio-economic status (SES), parenting, nutrition, and interpersonal supports, which are moderators that interact with other factors influencing functional outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada, maureen.dennis@sickkids.ca.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Brenda J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Spiegler
authors.forename: Nevena
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Simic
authors.forename: Katia J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sinopoli
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Keith Owen
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Yeates
authors.forename: H Gerry
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Erin D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Bigler
authors.forename: Jack M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fletcher
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care