Persistence of visuo-constructional and executive deficits in adolescents after open-heart surgery.
Use the ROCFT story checklist to spot hidden executive deficits in teens years after heart surgery.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave 25 teens who had open-heart surgery years earlier the Rey Complex Figure Test.
They scored the drawings two ways: a regular points count and a new story-based checklist.
The checklist looks at how the teen plans, shifts, and finishes the copy.
What they found
Only the story-based checklist caught lasting problems.
The teens drew slower, skipped big chunks, and used messy lines.
Standard scoring said they were fine, but the new scoring said deficits stayed.
How this fits with other research
Vugs et al. (2013) saw the same hidden gap in kids with language impairment.
Those kids looked okay on simple visuospatial tests, yet working-memory checks revealed medium-sized holes.
Together the papers warn: clean surface scores can mask executive trouble in medical groups.
Ohan et al. (2015) used motion cameras to show hand-shaping errors in cerebral-palsy teens.
Both studies used lab tools, not parent reports, to prove fine-motor or planning issues persist.
Why it matters
If you test a teen post-cardiac surgery, add the ROCFT story checklist.
It takes five extra minutes and shows who still needs help with planning, note-taking, or STEM classes.
Share the checklist with schools so they give extra time or graphic organizers before grades drop.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AIM: This study assesses whether previously reported performance deficiencies in visuo-constructional and executive functions, using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT) in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), persist into adolescence. METHODS: 53 adolescent CHD patients (mean age 13.7) and 39 healthy controls (mean age 14.1) participated. ROCFT performance was measured by three different scoring methods, focusing either on quantitative (Meyers & Meyers, 1995), qualitative (Wallon & Mesmin, 2009), or both performance aspects (Bernstein & Waber, 1996). Potential confounders (i.e., intelligence and visuomotor integration) and surgery-related risk factors were included in the data analysis. RESULTS: Adolescents with CHD demonstrated immature copy and recall approaches on the ROCFT using the qualitative system by Wallon and Mesmin (p<.001). Memory performance was also predicted by Bernstein and Waber scores (p<.03), whereas group differences were not significant according to the other scoring methods. Intelligence and visuomotor skills, but not surgery-related risk factors, were positively correlated with ROCFT performance (each p<.02). Interpretation: Visuoconstructional and executive deficiencies could be found in adolescent patients with CHD. However, not all ROCFT scoring methods were equally apt to detect group differences: especially the qualitative scoring method developed by Wallon and Mesmin seems sufficiently sensitive to detect long-lasting visuo-constructional and executive deficiencies in CHD patients.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.027