Criterion validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition after pediatric traumatic brain injury

Abstract

The performance of 40 children with complicated mild to severe traumatic brain injury on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC–IV; Wechsler, 2003) was compared with that of 40 demographically matched healthy controls. Of the four WISC–IV factor index scores, only Processing Speed yielded a statistically significant group difference (p< .001) as well as a statistically significant negative correlation with length of coma (p< .01). Logistic regression, using Processing Speed to classify individual children, yielded a sensitivity of 72.50% and a specificity of 62.50%, with false positive and false negative rates both exceeding 30%. We conclude that Processing Speed has acceptable criterion validity in the evaluation of children with complicated mild to severe traumatic brain injury but that the WISC–IV should be supplemented with other measures to assure sufficient accuracy in the diagnostic process. (JINS, 2008,14, 651–655.)