Indiana Psychological Association News

PsychByte: Multicultural Neuropsychological Assessment in Children: A Lack of Research

The study of cultural components in the neuropsychological assessment of children is underdeveloped when compared to the adult and geriatric literature. Byrd and colleagues (2008) reviewed ten studies regarding the role of cultural factors in pediatric neuropsychological assessment. Their main conclusion was that the current research is too limited to draw any significant assumptions.
 
The examined studies showed a wide variation in the effects of ethnicity on test performance, suggesting that the research on adult performance patterns is not directly applicable to child neuropsychological assessment, and that the conclusions reached in the adult literature may not apply to children. Furthermore, the authors were unable to find any studies that involved Native American, Pacific Islander, or Asian children.
 
Overall, Byrd and colleagues (2008) highlight the need for research on multicultural neuropsychological assessment of children. The authors specifically advocate for the development of culturally appropriate normative datasets, an investigation into the relationship between culture and cognition in both neurologically-normal children as well as neurologically-compromised children, and the cultural contribution of rate of diagnosis of neuropsychological disorders in ethnic and racial minority children.
 
This dearth of research limits the ability of clinicians to draw accurate and relevant conclusions based on the results of cognitive testing with children from diverse backgrounds. Although eight years have elapsed since this empirical review, this call for in-depth pediatric research by Byrd and colleagues has regrettably been left unanswered.
 
Reference:
Byrd, D., Arentoft, A., Scheiner, D., Westerveld, M., & Baron, I.S. (2008). State of multicultural neuropsychological assessment in children: Current research issues. Neuropsychological Review, 18 (3), 214-222. DOI: 10.1007/s11065-008-9065-y
 
Contributors:
Alexandria Willis, M.S., & Rachel Chan, M.S.
Interns in Clinical Psychology at the St. Vincent Neuroscience Institute-St. Vincent Hospital
 
Sarah Jenkins, Ph.D., HSPP
Clinical Health Psychologist
Diversity Coordinator, Doctoral Internship Program, St. Vincent Neuroscience Institute-St. Vincent Hospital
 

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