title: Screening for cognitive deficits in 8 to 14-year old children with cerebellar tumors using self-report measures of executive and behavioral functioning and health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to identify a brief screening measure for detection of cognitive deficit in children treated for cerebellar tumors that would be useful in clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 72 children, aged 8-14 years, and within 3 years post diagnosis for standard-risk medulloblastoma (n = 37) or low-grade cerebellar astrocytoma (n = 35) and 38 children in a nontumor group were assessed using teacher-, parent-, and child-report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The accuracy of these scores as a screen for a full-scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) < 80 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV UK) was assessed using their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The questionnaires with the highest areas under the ROC curves were the child- and parent-report PedsQL, the teacher-report BRIEF, and the SDQ. At optimal cutoff scores, their sensitivities (95% CIs) to cases of FSIQ < 80 were 84 (60-96)%, 65 (41-84)%, 79 (54-93)%, and 84 (60-96)%, and their specificities (95% CIs) were 79 (68-86)%, 87 (77-93)%, 77 (66-86)%, and 71 (64-84)% respectively. All cases of FSIQ < 80 screened positive on either teacher-report SDQ or self-report PedsQL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PedsQL child- and parent-report and the teacher-report BRIEF and SDQ have moderately good accuracy for discriminating between children with and without a FSIQ < 80. The PedsQL could be used in a clinical setting, and the BRIEF and SDQ in an educational setting, to screen for cases with FSIQ < 80 in children treated for brain tumors.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK (K.S.B., H.M.Y, C.R.K.); University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK (C.R.K.); School of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (C.L.); Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK (J.L.P.); NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.L.P.).
authors.forename: Kim S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK (K.S.B., H.M.Y, C.R.K.); University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK (C.R.K.); School of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (C.L.); Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK (J.L.P.); NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.L.P.).
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liossi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK (K.S.B., H.M.Y, C.R.K.); University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK (C.R.K.); School of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (C.L.); Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK (J.L.P.); NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.L.P.).
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK (K.S.B., H.M.Y, C.R.K.); University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK (C.R.K.); School of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (C.L.); Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK (J.L.P.); NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.L.P.).
authors.forename: Ho Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK (K.S.B., H.M.Y, C.R.K.); University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK (C.R.K.); School of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (C.L.); Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK (J.L.P.); NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.L.P.).
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000150:complications*; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012372:ROC Curve; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: cerebellar tumors; children; cognitive deficit; health-related quality of life; screening