The Medical Symptom Validity Test Measures Effort Not Ability in Children: A Comparison Between Mild TBI and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Samples

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists
Jennifer C Gidley LarsonMichael W Kirkwood

Abstract

Inadequate effort during neuropsychological examination results in inaccurate representations of an individual's true abilities and difficulties. As such, performance validity tests (PVTs) are strongly recommended as standard practice during adult-based evaluations. One concern with using PVTs with children is that failure reflects immature cognitive ability rather than non-credible effort. The current study examined performance on the Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) in two large pediatric clinical samples with strikingly different neuropsychological profiles: (1) mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; n = 510) and (2) fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD; n = 120). Despite higher IQ scores and reading ability, the mTBI group performed significantly worse than the FASD group on all effort indices. Sixteen percent of the mTBI group failed the MSVT, whereas only 5% of the FASD group did. Our findings support the idea that the MSVT measures effort, not ability, in most cases and help to justify incorporating PVTs into pediatric neuropsychological batteries.

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Citations

Oct 16, 2018·Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence·Jonathan DoddMeghan Doherty
Oct 16, 2018·Developmental Neuropsychology·Stephanie M EmhoffRobert J McCaffrey
Jan 25, 2019·Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence·William S MacAllisterKira Armstrong
Oct 24, 2017·Applied Neuropsychology. Child·Zachary W SussmanMichael W Kirkwood
Feb 18, 2020·Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·Katelyn MullallyJacqueline Pei
Apr 22, 2017·Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists·Stephen N MacciocchiSarah Small
Apr 17, 2020·Applied Neuropsychology. Child·William S MacAllisterBrian L Brooks
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May 7, 2020·Applied Neuropsychology. Child·John W KirkWilliam S MacAllister
Aug 14, 2021·Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists·Alphonso SmithEsther Chin

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