Normative data for Spanish-language neuropsychological tests: A step forward in the assessment of pediatric populations

Normative Data Estimation in Neuropsychological Tests: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the evolution, impact, and importance of normative data (ND) calculation by identifying trends in the research literature and what approaches need improvement.

METHODS

A PRISMA-guideline systematic review was performed on literature from 2000 to 2022 in PubMed, Pub-Psych, and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria included scientific articles about ND in neuropsychological tests with clear data analysis, published in any country, and written in English or Spanish. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. Bibliometric analysis was used to examine the growth, productivity, journal dispersion, and impact of the topic. VOSViewer compared keyword co-occurrence networks between 1952-1999 and 2000-2022.

RESULTS

Four hundred twelve articles met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The most studied predictors were age, education, and sex. There were a greater number of studies/projects focusing on adults than children. The Verbal Fluency Test (12.7%) was the most studied test, and the most frequently used variable selection strategy was linear regression (49.5%). Regression-based approaches were widely used, whereas the traditional approach was still used. ND were presented mostly in percentiles (44.2%). Bibliometrics showed exponential growth in publications. Three journals (2.41%) were in the Core Zone. VOSViewer results showed small nodes, long distances, and four ND-related topics from 1952 to 1999, and there were larger nodes with short connections from 2000 to 2022, indicating topic spread.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies should be conducted on children's ND, and alternative statistical methods should be used over the widely used regression approaches to address limitations and support growth of the field.

The Practice of Child Neuropsychology in Spanish-speaking Countries: What We've Learned and Where to Go from Here

The characteristics and current situation of pediatric neuropsychologists across Spanish-speaking countries was examined. A total of 409 self-identified professionals working in child neuropsychology from 12 Latin American countries and Spain completed an online survey between June and October 2018. Results revealed that pediatric neuropsychology as a related but distinct discipline within neuropsychology presents with a series of unique challenges to practitioners in Spanish-speaking countries. Efforts and initiatives are required to increase awareness of the field, define the core competencies, foster more opportunities for training, and conduct research to understand sociocultural characteristics and develop culturally specific tools.