Updated profiles of everyday executive function in youth with Down syndrome using the BRIEF-2.
BRIEF-2 scale scores (not indexes) reveal a mixed EF profile in Down syndrome, so scrutinize individual scales and expect teachers to flag more problems than parents.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave the BRIEF-2 rating scale to parents and teachers of youth with Down syndrome. They compared the scale scores to mental-age peers without Down syndrome.
They looked at both the nine small scales and the two big index scores. They wanted to see which everyday executive skills were weakest.
What they found
Some small scales were much lower than peers, but others were not. The two big index scores stayed flat across the group.
Teachers marked more problems than parents on almost every item. The gap was largest on working memory and shift skills.
How this fits with other research
Waldron et al. (2023) tested stop-signal and Stroop tasks in the same group. Most of those lab tasks failed, so the BRIEF-2 gives usable data when performance tests do not.
Gilmore et al. (2003) saw toddlers with Down syndrome avoid tasks more than mental-age peers. The new study shows this avoidance pattern lasts into the school years.
Schott et al. (2014) also found teachers rate motor skills lower than parents do. The same informant split now shows up for executive skills, so collect both views.
Why it matters
Do not rely only on the two big BRIEF-2 indexes. Read each of the nine scales to spot the child’s real trouble spots. Always ask both teacher and parent to fill out the form; if they disagree, probe the classroom demands that may trigger the problem. Use the scale data to pick goals like ‘wait before answering’ or ‘check work twice’ instead of broad ‘improve executive function’ statements.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Executive function difficulties in youth with Down syndrome (DS) are well recognised using informant-report measures. However, the profile of relative challenges and strengths has not yet been evaluated using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2), which includes a new internal factor structure. METHOD: Using the BRIEF-2, profiles of everyday parent-reported executive function (EF) were evaluated in youth with DS (n = 34) and compared with age-based and sex-based norms. EF profiles were also compared across raters (parent vs. teacher, n = 20) and relative to mental age-matched typically developing controls (ns = 19 in each group). RESULTS: Although within-group differences were not revealed on indexes, significant differences were found among BRIEF-2 scales. Across raters, teachers reported significantly more difficulties than parents. Compared with mental age-matched typically developing controls, the DS group was rated more poorly on some but not all BRIEF-2 scales. CONCLUSIONS: At the scale, but not the index level, the BRIEF-2 identifies a variegated EF profile in children with DS. For several of the scales, significant differences were noted relative to both chronological age expectations (using norms) and mental-age expectations (using a developmentally matched comparison group). At the scale level, the BRIEF-2 continues to be a sensitive tool for identifying executive function difficulties as well as profiles of relative strengths and weaknesses in children with DS.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2022 · doi:10.1111/jir.12879