AUTHOR=Chevignard Mathilde , Guerra Amanda , Fliss Rafika , Salah Lucie , Pineau Emmanuelle , Notteghem Pauline , Roche Jeanne , Huon Caroline , Krasny Pacini Agata , Le Gall Didier , Fournet Nathalie , Roulin Jean-Luc , Roy Arnaud TITLE=Comprehensive assessment of executive functioning following childhood severe traumatic brain injury: clinical utility of the child executive functions battery JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1160210 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1160210 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=Objectives

To perform a detailed description of executive functioning following moderate-to-severe childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to study demographic and severity factors influencing outcome.

Methods

A convenience sample of children/adolescents aged 7–16 years, referred to a rehabilitation department after a TBI (n = 43), was compared to normative data using a newly developed neuropsychological test battery (Child Executive Functions Battery—CEF-B) and the BRIEF.

Results

Performance in the TBI group was significantly impaired in most of the CEF-B subtests, with moderate to large effect sizes. Regarding everyday life, patients were significantly impaired in most BRIEF clinical scales, either in parent or in teacher reports. Univariate correlations in the TBI group did not yield significant correlations between the CEF-B and socio-economic status, TBI severity, age at injury, or time since injury.

Conclusion

Executive functioning is severely altered following moderate-to-severe childhood TBI and is best assessed using a combination of developmentally appropriate neuropsychological tests and behavioral ratings to provide a comprehensive understanding of children’s executive functions.