Abstract
Assessment of change in behavioral functioning in children as a function of neurotoxicity is not a trivial undertaking. Psychological tests, widely (though erroneously) considered to be the "gold standard" for measurement of behavior in humans, are not adequate for the task; they tap the structure of cognition, not the behavioral repertoire, and cannot (alone) address developmental change. Comprehensive neurobehavioral assessment must be undertaken within a multidisciplinary assessment strategy incorporating knowledge of brain and brain development, cognitive processes and their development, brain-behavior relationships, and detailed knowledge of neurotoxicants, their action and the exposure thereto. Initial assessment batteries must be adequately broad ranging and must incorporate strategies and data for evaluating the impact of predictable nonbrain variables; they must also be cost efficient to respond to the realities of funding and the exigencies of field testing. Measures of neuropsychological outcome are optimally characterized as they relate to behavioral domains specified in terms of the competencies of infants and children of different ages; relevant information is derived from demographic, socioeconomic, medical, developmental, and educational sources, as well as from detailed observational data and performance on psychological tests. Two levels of assessment are proposed.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Freedman M., Oscar-Berman M. Comparative neuropsychology of cortical and subcortical dementia. Can J Neurol Sci. 1986 Nov;13(4 Suppl):410–414. doi: 10.1017/s0317167100037008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Greenough W. T., Black J. E., Wallace C. S. Experience and brain development. Child Dev. 1987 Jun;58(3):539–559. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Matarazzo J. D. Psychological assessment versus psychological testing. Validation from Binet to the school, clinic, and courtroom. Am Psychol. 1990 Sep;45(9):999–1017. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.45.9.999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nowakowski R. S. Basic concepts of CNS development. Child Dev. 1987 Jun;58(3):568–595. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stanton M. E., Freeman J. H., Jr Eyeblink conditioning in the infant rat: an animal model of learning in developmental neurotoxicology. Environ Health Perspect. 1994 Jun;102 (Suppl 2):131–139. doi: 10.1289/ehp.94102131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]