Citation

Studeny J, Weber E, Kavanaugh BC, Dupont-Frechette JA, Tellock PP, Maher ID, Haisley LD, McCurdy K, Holler KA. Appl. Neuropsychol. Child 2019; 8(1): 40-49.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior , Alpert Medical School of Brown University , Providence , Rhode Island , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/21622965.2017.1381098

PMID

29058552

Abstract

This study examined the role of executive functioning in constructional task performance (measured with the Rey Complex Figure Test-Copy Condition [RCFT] and Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration [Beery-VMI]) within a children's psychiatric inpatient setting. A chart review was conducted for 88 children (aged 6-12) who received a neuropsychological evaluation during a psychiatric inpatient hospitalization. Multiple regression analyses investigated the role of executive and nonexecutive demands on RCFT and Beery-VMI performance. Forty-three percent of the sample displayed a constructional weakness. Children with a constructional weakness had lower FSIQ scores and a higher rate of executive dysfunction. Performance on the RCFT was independently predicted by perceptual ability (i.e., Matrix Reasoning; p = .008; β = .340) and attention/executive dysfunction (p = .003; β = -.342; 9.4% of variance), while performance on the Beery-VMI was independently predicted by constructional ability (i.e., Block Design; p = .004, β = .338).

RESULTS of this study demonstrate that the RCFT has greater executive demand than the VMI and yields a greater rate of impaired performance in an inpatient child sample as compared to the VMI. Clinical and research practices should consider the distinct differences between various constructional measures to ensure their proper use and interpretation with consideration to their varying executive and nonexecutive demands.

Language: en

Keywords

Executive; RCFT; VMI; neuropsychology; psychiatric