A pilot study of remote cognitive assessment in children using the NIH toolbox participant/examiner app

The demand for remote assessment tools has increased, yet there is a lack of standardized adaptations for remote administration. This pilot study investigates the equivalency of in-person and remote cognitive assessments using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) among children aged 7 to 17 years. Forty-seven children (51.1% female; M_age = 12.26, SD_age= 3.23) were assessed in two formats: in-person at a study site and remotely from home, with the order of assessments counterbalanced. The NIHTB-CB was used for in-person evaluations, while a newly developed version, the NIH Toolbox Participant/Examiner (NIHTB-P/E) App, was used for remote assessments through built-in teleconferencing features. The results showed considerable consistency between in-person and remote scores across all NIHTB-CB tests. Certain differences were noted, including longer test durations for remote assessments and potential practice effects on some measures. Overall, preliminary findings from this pilot study support thefeasibility of administering the NIHTB-CB remotely using the NIHTB-P/E App, providing a viable option to traditional in-person cognitive assessments in pediatric populations.