Parent-Reported Perceived Cognitive Functioning Identifies Cognitive Problems in Children Who Survived Neonatal...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurocognition
• Clinical Psychology
• Neonatal Medicine

Background:

• Children with congenital anatomical foregut anomalies or neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment face risks for neurocognitive impairments.
• Accurate assessment of these cognitive risks is crucial for timely intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between parent-reported Pediatric Perceived Cognitive Functioning (PedsPCF) scores and parent-reported Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and neuropsychological assessments (NPA).
• To determine the utility of PedsPCF in identifying cognitive problems in children with a history of neonatal critical illness.

Main Methods:

• Prospective follow-up study including 168 participants aged 8, 12, and 17 years.
• Collected self- and parental proxy-reported PedsPCF scores and proxy-reported BRIEF scores.
• Correlated PedsPCF and BRIEF scores, and examined associations between PedsPCF and NPA test scores.

Main Results:

• Both self- and proxy-reported PedsPCF scores were significantly below normal.
• Proxy-reported PedsPCF scores strongly correlated with BRIEF Metacognition Index subscores.
• Proxy-reported PedsPCF scores showed positive associations with multiple NPA scores, particularly intelligence.

Conclusions:

• Parent-reported PedsPCF identified cognitive problems more frequently than BRIEF in school-aged children post-neonatal critical illness.
• The PedsPCF may aid clinical decisions regarding the necessity of comprehensive neuropsychological assessments.