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Clinical utility of brief screening measures during neuropsychological consultation for pediatric onset multiple sclerosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2024

Ashley Nguyen-Martinez Open the ORCID record for Ashley Nguyen-Martinez [Opens in a new window] ,
Brooke Weigand ,
Kelly Wolfe ,
Ryan Kammeyer ,
Teri Schreiner  and
Christa Hutaff-Lee
Ashley Nguyen-Martinez*
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Brooke Weigand
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Kelly Wolfe
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Ryan Kammeyer
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Teri Schreiner
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Christa Hutaff-Lee
Affiliation:
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
*
Corresponding author: Ashley Nguyen-Martinez; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) accounts for approximately 2 to 5% of all individuals with MS and is associated with an increased risk for cognitive impairment. In recent years, neuropsychological screening questionnaires have been increasingly utilized for pediatric populations in multidisciplinary settings. This study examines the clinical utility of the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire (CLDQ) and Pediatric Perceived Cognitive Functioning (Peds PCF) screening measures for identifying cognitive impairment in persons with POMS during a target neuropsychological evaluation.

Method:

Retrospective data was gathered from electronic medical records at a single pediatric hospital.

Results:

Forty-nine participants were included (69% female; 43% Hispanic/Latinx; mean age = 16.1 years old, range = 9.9 to 20.6 years old). Correlation analyses demonstrated strong interrelatedness between caregiver ratings on screening measures and performance on traditional neuropsychological measures. Effect sizes were medium across comparisons (CLDQ: Spearman’s rho = −.321 to −.563; PedsPCF: Spearman’s rho = .308 to .444). Exploratory cut-points using receiver operating characteristic analysis and Youden indices are also discussed.

Conclusions:

Comparison of scores across caregiver rating questionnaires and on a targeted neuropsychological battery suggests that the screening surveys alone may not be sensitive enough to identify children with cognitive impairments, but ratings may provide qualitatively meaningful information along with neuropsychological testing. This study illustrates how pediatric neuropsychologists can leverage screening tools to focus consultative interviews and effectively triage referrals for evaluation within an academic medical setting.

Keywords

Multiple sclerosisneuropsychologyscreening measuresbrief evaluationpediatric-onset MSpedsPCF
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 30 , Issue 10 , December 2024 , pp. 977 - 984
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Neuropsychological Society

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