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A normative study of the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) in the Cypriot population
K Konstantopoulos1, P Vogazianos1, C Thodi1
1a Speech Therapy , European University Cyprus , Nicosia , Cyprus.
Insights
The Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) shows promise for assessing attention in Cypriot children. Normative data revealed age significantly impacts performance, with older children demonstrating faster completion times and fewer errors.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Child Psychology
- Cognitive Assessment
Background:
- The Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) assesses attention, divided attention, and processing speed.
- CCTT is utilized globally for children with various neurological and psychiatric conditions.
- Normative data for CCTT in specific populations, like Cyprus, are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normative data for the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) in the Cypriot population.
- To provide a benchmark for interpreting CCTT results in Greek-Cypriot children aged 7-16.
Main Methods:
- A total of 709 native Cypriot children (ages 7-16) participated.
- Children were recruited from public schools across Cyprus.
- Strict exclusion criteria were applied to ensure a healthy sample, excluding those with medical, neurological, psychiatric, or developmental issues.
Main Results:
- Age and gender were significant factors influencing CCTT scores.
- Older children consistently performed better, showing reduced completion times and fewer errors.
- A 3-4 second improvement in CCTT completion time was observed with each age increase.
Conclusions:
- The Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) is a valuable tool for assessing attention in Cypriot children.
- Further research is recommended to validate CCTT in clinical pediatric populations.
- Establishing normative data is crucial for accurate neuropsychological assessment in diverse populations.
Background:
The Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT) is a neuropsychological test that measures attention, divided attention, and speed of mental processing. It has been increasingly used in the assessment of children in cross-cultural environments for neurological and psychiatric disorders such as seizures and closed head injuries, learning and/or language disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, children with manganese exposure, and children diagnosed with HIV virus. However, there is a paucity of studies presenting normative data. The aim of the present study was to provide normative data for the CCTT in the Cypriot population.
Methods:
A total of 709 native Cypriot children aged 7-16 years, recruited from various public schools across the island, took part in the study. Exclusion criteria involved the existence of neurological, psychiatric, cardiological, and metabolic diseases, premature birth, history of maternal alcohol and drug abuse during pregnancy, low birth weight, hearing loss, visual problems, native language other than Greek, and abnormality in fine-motor movements.
Results:
Age and gender were found to be important factors for the interpretation of scores in all CCTT variables. Older children required less time and exhibited fewer errors, near misses, and prompts compared to younger children. There was a consistent pattern of a 3-4 seconds improvement (less time in seconds) in the CCTT completion time as age increased.
Conclusions:
CCTT is a promising tool for the measurement of attention in the native Cypriot population. Further research is needed in children diagnosed with various neurological and psychiatric diseases in order to estimate validity of the CCTT in clinical populations.
