Adapting the ‘Zoo Map’ test of executive function in children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The accessibility of an adapted version of the Zoo Map subtest of the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C) in children with epilepsy
IRAS ID
337852
Contact name
Jessica Fish
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Glasgow
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Executive function is the skills that allow us to reach goals, including being flexible, controlling our impulses and holding information in mind. Tests of executive function were originally developed with adults. However, when used with children, the language the tests use may be too complicated. Testing executive function is important, especially for people with neurological conditions such as in epilepsy, as difficulties can affect children’s everyday lives, including learning to be independent. Developing a valid test to measure executive functioning in children with epilepsy can allow for adaptations to be made to support children with these difficulties.
This study aims to validate an adapted version of the 'Zoo Map' from the Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children with reduced language demands. This is a task where children have to plan a route around a zoo to visit different animals according to certain rules.
The primary research question is: How accessible is the adapted Zoo Map? There will also be several secondary questions, including does the test correlates with a parent measure of executive functioning?
Participants will be children aged 8-15 years 11 months with Genetic Generalised Epilepsy without a learning disability or limited English language understanding. Participants will be recruited through neurology clinics at the Royal Hospital for Children. Their neurology doctor will initially approach them about the study, and consent/assent will be sought from parents and children, which is detailed further in this form. The study will answer the primary research question by collecting data on language skills, executive functioning, and epilepsy, and then asking them to perform either the original or adapted Zoo Map. This may take up to 60 minutes to administer, including gaining consent/assent. The study will be funded by NHS GG&C.Summary of Results
Background Executive functioning (EF) can be defined as the evolutionary advantage of minimising automatic responses and instead engaging with behaviours that will help us to reach a specific goal, e.g. planning complex work-related tasks to maintain employment (Suchy, 2009). In young people with epilepsy, EF can be impaired, leading to difficulties at home and school, such as impulsive behaviour and poor grades (Culhane-Shelburn et al., 2002). EF can be measured in several different ways, including parent and teacher ratings, naturalistic tasks such as cooking, and behavioural measures completed in one-to-one settings. Behavioural measures are important as they reduce subjectivity of people who know the child and are less impacted by culture. However, many of the behavioural measures have been derived from adult tests, and may not consider other areas of development such as language, making them inaccessible to children (Lee et al., 2013).
Aims and Questions
The aim of this study is to validate a low-language version of the Zoo Map from the Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (Emslie et al., 2003). This is a task where children have a plan a route around a zoo to visit different animals.
The primary aim was to explore how accessible the adapted Zoo Map is. There were several secondary questions, including if the test correlates with a parent measure of EF.
Methods
• Participants: 24 children with Genetic Generalised Epilepsy aged 9-15.
• Recruitment: Children were recruited from children’s hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh. They were asked to take part by a member of their epilepsy care team.
• Design of study: An experimental design in which children either completed the original or adapted Zoo Map.
• Data collection: Data was collected on language skills, intelligence, parent rated EF and epilepsy, as well as either the original or adapted Zoo Map.
Main Findings and Conclusions
The adapted Zoo Map is feasible and more accessible that the original, as it took less time to administer, less children discontinued the adapted task compared to the original, and the examiner did not have to provide more prompts. Using this test could increase accessibility of neuropsychological services, particularly for young people with language difficulties, but further studies with a bigger sample would be needed to understand this further. Scores on the adapted Zoo Map were not significantly different from the original version, suggesting that they both measure planning. However, the adapted Zoo Map scores did not correlate with parent-rated EF. Therefore, further research is needed to improve the accessibility of EF testing in children.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
24/NS/0037
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion