Thursday May 27th

An evidence-based approach to the assessment of everyday executive dysfunction in children

Dr. Gerard Gioia, Ph.D

Description:

The executive functions contribute demonstrably to children’s success in the academic, social, emotional and behavioral domains. Their dysfunction contributes to a wide range of clinical conditions. In this presentation, we will define the construct and subdomains of the executive functions, and discuss the different methods and measures to screen and assess them, including the array of profiles that are manifested in clinical populations. An evidence-based approach to clinical assessment will be introduced and applied to this process, including how it informs clinical decision-making. Finally, we will focus on how these assessments findings can inform the intervention process, including the monitoring of the intervention’s outcome.

The learner will:

(1) explain the nature of the executive functions and the associated pros and cons of different methods (performance-based and rating scale) to measure them

(2) describe the evidence-based approach to assessment and clinical decision-making

(3) apply the evidence-based approach to screening and assessment of executive dysfunction in various clinical scenarios;

(4) apply the assessment findings toward targeted executive function intervention planning, and monitoring progress.