No abstract

Introduction: Identifying responsive outcome measures for assessing functional change related to cognition, communication, and quality of life for individuals with neurodegenerative disease is important for intervention design and clinical care. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) has been used as an outcome measure to formally develop and systematically measure incremental progress towards functional, patient-centered goals in clinical settings. Evidence suggests that GAS is reliable and feasible for use in older adult populations and in adult populations with cognitive impairment, but no review has assessed the suitability of GAS in older adults with neurodegenerative disease experiencing dementia or cognitive impairment, based on responsiveness. This study conducted a systematic review to evaluate the suitability of GAS as an outcome measure for older adult populations with neurodegenerative disease experiencing dementia or cognitive impairment, based on responsiveness. Methods: The review was registered with PROSPERO and performed by searching ten electronic scientific databases (PubMed, Medline OVID, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Scopus, OTSeeker, RehabDATA) and four registries (Clinicaltrials.gov, Grey Literature Report, Mednar, Open Grey). A summary measure of responsiveness (post-intervention minus pre-intervention mean GAS T-score) was compared across eligible studies using a random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias in included studies was assessed using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After (Pre-Post) Studies with No Control Group. Results: 882 eligible articles were identified and screened by two independent reviewers. Ten studies met inclusion criteria for the final analysis. Of the ten included reports, 3 focus on all-cause dementia, 3 on Multiple Sclerosis, 1 on Parkinson’s Disease, 1 on Mild Cognitive Impairment, 1 on Alzheimer’s Disease, and 1 on Primary Progressive Aphasia. Responsiveness analyses showed pre- and post-intervention GAS goals were significantly different from zero (Z=7.48, p<0.001), with post-intervention GAS scores being higher than pre-intervention GAS scores. Three included studies showed a high risk of bias, 3 showed a moderate risk of bias, and 4 showed a low risk of bias. Overall risk of bias of included studies was rated as moderate. Discussion/Conclusion: GAS showed an improvement in goal attainment across different dementia patient populations and intervention types. The overall moderate risk of bias suggests that while bias is present across included studies (e.g., small sample size, unblinded assessors), the observed effect likely represents the true effect. This suggests that GAS is responsive to functional change and may be suitable for use in older adult populations with neurodegenerative disease experiencing dementia or cognitive impairment.

Research has shown that children experiencing epileptic seizures (ES) or non-ESs (NES) exhibit cognitive and behavioral deficits, but no research has examined social skills differences between the two groups. A better understanding of social skills differences between these two groups might allow for the development of more targeted interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine social skills differences between children with ES and children with NES, using the Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSIS). A total of 43 children were recruited from the epilepsy monitoring units at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Primary Children's Medical Center. The epilepsy group consisted of 28 participants (50% female, mean age at testing = 11.79, standard deviation [SD] = 3.12), and the NES group consisted of 15 participants (67% female; mean age at testing = 12.62, SD = 3.33). Parents and children completed the SSIS Rating Scales. No group differences were found between children with ES and children with NES on social skills measures. However, children in both groups rated their social skills as being in the average range, while parents of children in both groups rated their children's social skills as being in the below average range. Limitations to this study and directions for future research are discussed.