Revisión sistemática sobre pruebas de evaluación neuropsicológica para niños con discapacidad auditiva

La investigación se propuso determinar las pruebas de evaluación neuropsicológica más eficaces para niños con discapacidad auditiva mediante revisión sistemática de evidencia científica publicada. El proceso de búsqueda se hizo de mayo a septiembre de 2020, a partir de las bases de datos: Redalyc, Scielo, Ebsco, Hinari y Scopus. Los artículos seleccionados tenían hasta 10 años de publicación. La información sistematizada en la bibliografía posibilitó determinar las pruebas confiables de la evaluación del desarrollo neuropsicológico en pacientes pediátricos con discapacidad auditiva: vocabulario (Test de Vocabulario en Imágenes Peabody), lenguaje (Test de Evaluación Clínica de los Fundamentos del Lenguaje), funcionamiento ejecutivo (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function y las Pruebas de habilidades cognitivas Woodcock Johnson), inteligencia (Prueba Breve de Inteligencia de Kaufman). Mientras que, la Prueba informatizada AWARD, el Test de Vocabulario de Boston y el de habilidades de reconocimiento de oraciones (HINT) fueron valoradas con menor operatividad.

Age and Sex Invariance of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities: Evidence from Psychometric Network Modeling

The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG) is a comprehensive assessment battery designed to assess broad and narrow cognitive abilities, as defined by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. Previous studies examined the invariance of the WJ assessments across sex and age groups using factor analytic methods. Psychometric network modeling is an alternative methodology that can address both direct and indirect relationships among the observed variables. In this study, we employed psychometric network modeling to examine the invariance of the WJ IV COG across sex and age groups. Using a normative sample (n = 4212 participants) representative of the United States population, we tested the extent to which the factorial structure of the WJ IV COG aligned with CHC theory for the school-aged sample. Next, we used psychometric network modeling as a data-driven method to investigate whether the network structure of the WJ IV COG remains similar across different sex and age (age 6 to 19, inclusively) groups. Our results showed that the WJ IV COG maintained the same network structure across all age and sex groups, although the network structure at younger ages indicated weaker relationships among some subtests. Overall, the results provide construct validity evidence for the WJ IV COG, based on both theoretical and data-driven methods.

The Simple Views of Reading and Writing: Frameworks for Interpretation of the Woodcock–Johnson IV

The simple views of reading (SVRs) and writing (SVWs) reflect useful frameworks for the psychoeducational evaluation of literacy difficulties. They describe reading comprehension and written expression as the outcome of oral language, decoding, and transcription skills. Prior research has demonstrated that these components explain the vast majority of variance in comprehension and written expression. However, subtests’ specific task demands can influence the relationships among these components within the models. As a result, practitioners should know the degree to which various test batteries operationalize these frameworks. Using correlations from school-age participants provided in the technical manual, these analyses investigated the SVR and SVW within the Woodcock–Johnson IV battery through structural equation modeling. Results suggest that the battery’s measures conform to many of the expectations stemming from the SVR/SVW. However, its comprehension and written expression measures appear less language-influenced and more affected by decoding/spelling. Implications for psychoeducational practice are discussed.

Prospective Exploration of Cognitive-Communication Changes With Woodcock–Johnson IV Before and After Sport-Related Concussion

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in cognitive-communication performance using Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests (WJIV) from pre-injury baseline to post sport-related concussion. It was hypothesized that individual subtest performances would decrease postinjury in symptomatic individuals. Method This prospective longitudinal observational nested cohort study of collegiate athletes assessed cognitive-communicative performance at preseason baseline and postinjury. Three hundred and forty-two male and female undergraduates at high risk for sport-related concussion participated in preseason assessments, and 18 individuals met criteria post injury. WJIV subtest domains included Word Finding, Speeded Reading Comprehension, Auditory Comprehension, Verbal Working Memory, Story Retell, and Visual Processing (letter and number). The power calculation was not met, and therefore data were conservatively analyzed with descriptive statistics and a planned subgroup analysis based on symptomatology. Results Individual changes from baseline to postinjury were evaluated using differences in standard score performance. For symptomatic individuals, mean negative decreases in performance were found for Retrieval Fluency, Sentence Reading Fluency, Pattern Matchings, and all cluster scores postinjury. Individual performance declines also included decreases in story retell, verbal working memory, and visual processing. Conclusions This study identified within-subject WJIV performance decline in communication domains post sport-related concussion and reinforces that cognitive-communication dysfunction should be considered in mild traumatic brain injury. Key cognitive-communication areas included speeded naming, reading, and verbal memory, though oral comprehension was not sensitive to change. Future clinical research across diverse populations is needed to expand these preliminary findings.