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Evaluating the Performance of the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for Children (MMSEc) to Screen for
Ayushi Singh1, Vini Jhariya2, Gouri Rao Passi1
1Department of Pediatrics, Choithram Hospital & Research Centre, Indore, India.
Insights
The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for Children (MMSEc) effectively screens for intellectual disabilities in children. It shows high accuracy and specificity when compared to Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) scores.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Cognitive Assessment
Background:
- Intellectual disability screening is crucial for early intervention in children.
- The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for Children (MMSEc) is a potential screening tool.
- Epilepsy in children is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for Children (MMSEc) as a screening tool for intellectual disability.
- To compare MMSEc scores with Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) in children with and without epilepsy.
- To determine the diagnostic accuracy of MMSEc for identifying intellectual disability (FSIQ < 70).
Main Methods:
- The study included 56 children aged 6-14 with epilepsy and 56 age- and sex-matched controls without neurologic disorders.
- Spearman correlation was used to assess the relationship between MMSEc and FSIQ scores.
- Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy were calculated for MMSEc in identifying children with FSIQ < 70.
Main Results:
- A strong positive correlation was found between FSIQ and MMSEc scores (Spearman r = 0.873, P < .001).
- MMSEc demonstrated high sensitivity (77.08%), specificity (100%), and overall accuracy (80.35%) for identifying intellectual disability.
- An optimal MMSEc threshold score of 22 yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.993.
Conclusions:
- The MMSEc is a potentially valuable and rapid screening tool for identifying intellectual disability in children.
- Children with epilepsy showed significantly lower MMSEc scores compared to age-defined norms.
- Further research can validate MMSEc for broader clinical use in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination for Children (MMSEc) is a screening tool for identifying intellectual disabilities in children. This study compares MMSEc scores with Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) scores in 6-14-year-old children with epilepsy (n = 56) and controls with no neurologic disorders (n = 56). A positive correlation was observed between FSIQ and MMSEc scores (Spearman r = 0.873; P < .001). The MMSEc demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.08%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 42.11%, and an overall accuracy of 80.35% in identifying children with an FSIQ lower than 70. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.993, with the optimal MMSEc threshold score being 22. MMSEc scores were low (<2 SD) for age-defined norms in 66.1% of children with epilepsy. The MMSEc could potentially be a quick and useful tool to screen for intellectual disability in children.
