Parent-perceived child cognitive function: results from a sample drawn from the US general population.

PURPOSES: This paper reports the development and evaluation of a perceived cognitive function (pedsPCF) item bank reported by parents of the pediatric US general population.
METHODS: Based on feedback from clinicians, parents, and children, we developed a scale sampling concerns related to children's cognitive functioning. We administered the scale to 1,409 parents of children aged 7-17 years; of them, 319 had a neurological diagnosis. Dimensionality of the pedsPCF was evaluated via factor analyses and its clinical utility studied by comparing parent ratings in patient groups and symptom cluster defined by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
RESULTS: Forty-four of 45 items met criteria for unidimensionality. The pedsPCF significantly differentiated samples defined by medication use, repeated grades, special education status, neurologic diagnosis, and relevant symptom clusters with large effect sizes (>0.8). It can predicted children symptoms with the correction rates ranging 79-89%.
CONCLUSIONS: We have provided empirical support for the unidimensionality of the pedsPCF item bank and evidence for its potential clinical utility. The pedsPCF is a promising measurement tool to screen children for further comprehensive cognitive tests.