ABSTRACT

Speeded Matching (SpM) is a new processing speed match-to-sample test within the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery. It was designed to developmentally extend feasibility to younger children or individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). SpM reduces cognitive demands to tapping an identical match as opposed to judging and indicating whether two stimuli are identical. In this study, we piloted SpM among 148 participants with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, or other intellectual disabilities (chronological age mean = 17.8 years, sd = 5.4; nonverbal mental age mean = 65 months, sd = 19.4). SpM had a high feasibility (96%) and internal consistency (r_xx = 0.98). It converged well with other measures of processing speed, fluid cognition, and nonverbal mental age and diverged appropriately from crystallized cognitive skills. The correlation between nonverbal mental age and SpM in the IDD sample was not significantly different than the correlation between chronological age and SpM in a separate sample of 118 neurotypical children (age mean = 3.9 years sd = 0.8). This study provides initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the new SpM task, which may be appropriate as an outcome measure of processing speed for future clinical trials. It is more feasible than tasks designed for adults; it is brief, easy to administer, and engaging for young children and older individuals with lower mental ages associated with IDD.

摘要

加速匹配 (SpM) 是 NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery 中一种新的处理速度匹配样本测试。它旨在在发展上将可行性扩展到年幼的儿童或有智力或发育障碍 (IDD) 的个人。SpM 将认知需求降低到挖掘相同的匹配项，而不是判断和指示两个刺激是否相同。在这项研究中，我们在 148 名患有脆性 X 综合征、唐氏综合症或其他智力障碍的参与者中试用了 SpM（实际年龄平均 = 17.8 岁，sd = 5.4；非语言心理年龄平均 = 65 个月，sd = 19.4）。SpM 具有很高的可行性 (96%) 和内部一致性 (r _xx= 0.98）。它与处理速度、流畅认知和非语言心理年龄等其他指标很好地融合在一起，并适当地偏离了具体的认知技能。IDD 样本中非语言心理年龄与 SpM 之间的相关性与 118 名神经典型儿童（平均年龄 = 3.9 岁 sd = 0.8）的单独样本中实足年龄与 SpM 之间的相关性没有显着差异。这项研究为新 SpM 任务的可靠性和有效性提供了初步证据，这可能适合作为未来临床试验处理速度的结果测量。它比为成人设计的任务更可行；它简短、易于管理，并且适合与 IDD 相关的低智力年龄的幼儿和老年人。