A Validated WISC-V Short-Form to Estimate Intellectual Functioning in Very Preterm Children at Early School Age.

Andone Sistiaga,Garazi Labayru,Itxaso Marti,Jone Aliri,Joana Garmendia

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789124

Andone Sistiaga, Garazi Labayru + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789124

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Abstract

Very preterm children (gestational age < 32 weeks) frequently show neurodevelopmental difficulties (Inattention/dysexecutiveness) throughout their life-stages. A scarcity of resources, along with this population’s cognitive vulnerability, makes the neuropsychological evaluation of these children both complicated and time-consuming. This study aimed to develop a specific and valid Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) short-form to estimate intellectual functioning in this population. Eighty-four very preterm children (39 female; mean age = 6.50; SD: 0.06) were assessed with the WISC-V. Short-forms were developed following two independent strategies: a) multiple linear regressions for each index; b) correlational analyses between scores on all administered subtests and Full-Scale IQ. Validity of short-forms was analyzed. A short-form (Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, Picture Span, and Symbol Search) that satisfied 2/3 validation criteria was proposed. This validated short-form could facilitate the identification of cognitive difficulties in very preterm children, so that they could benefit from early care and support services, avoiding long assessment procedures.

Highlights

Preterm birth, that is, delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, is a major obstetric and global health problem, and it is the second most frequent cause of death in children under 5 years old worldwide (Blencowe et al, 2012)
It is important to design neuropsychological assessment protocols for early school-age preterm children, to promptly identify and trace the potential neurodevelopmental difficulties that might emerge in these school beginners (Jansen et al, 2021)
The Block Design subtest was removed since its reliability coefficient failed to reach rxx ≥ 0.8

Summary

Introduction

That is, delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, is a major obstetric and global health problem, and it is the second most frequent cause of death in children under 5 years old worldwide (Blencowe et al, 2012). Those infants who do survive suffer long-term morbidity, including neurological and developmental disabilities, compared to infants born fullterm (Allotey et al, 2018). It is important to design neuropsychological assessment protocols for early school-age preterm children, to promptly identify and trace the potential neurodevelopmental difficulties that might emerge in these school beginners (Jansen et al, 2021)

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