Assessment of Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) using a novel complex multi-tasking computerized task – the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions for Children (JEF-C©)

Objectives: The Jansari assessment of Executive Functions for Children (JEF-C©) is a new non-immersive computerized assessment of executive functions. The objectives of the study were to test the feasibility and validity of JEF-C© in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI).

Methods: Twenty-nine patients with ABI aged 10-18 years and 30 age-and gender-matched controls were tested. Participants performed JEF-C©, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C), while parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire.

Results: JEF-C© task proved feasible in patients with ABI. The internal consistency was medium (Cronbach's alpha =0.62 and significant inter-correlations between individual JEF-C© constructs). Patients performed significantly worse than controls on most of the JEF-C© subscales and total score, with 41.4 % of participants with ABI classified as having severe executive dysfunction. No significant correlations were found between JEF-C© total score, the BRIEF indices and the BADS-C. Significant correlations were found between JEF-C© and demographic characteristics of the sample and intellectual ability, but not with severity/medical variables.

Conclusion: JEF-C© is a playful complex task that appears to be a sensitive and ecologically valid assessment tool, especially for relatively high-functioning individuals.