Meta-Analysis of Executive Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy: an Investigation of Challenges to Measurement Validity.

Yueting Zhan, Ingrid Honan, Petra Karlsson, Kit Double, Yunze Li, Remy Blatch-Williams, Hamna Khan, Damian Birney

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Neuropsychology review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yueting ZhanSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. yueting.zhan@sydney.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8831-9742

Ingrid HonanSpeciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Petra KarlssonSpeciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Kit DoubleSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Yunze LiSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Remy Blatch-WilliamsSpeciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Hamna KhanSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Damian BirneySchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Executive function (EF) has been increasingly identified as an area of difficulty in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but the exact nature of deficit remains elusive as accurate assessment of abilities is limited due to the physical and speeded task requirements of many standardised assessment tools. With the aim of estimating the magnitude of EF impairment and evaluating the validity of EF assessments, the current meta-analysis examined the impacts from CP characteristics, assessment task features, and study design factors through adopting a comprehensive Cattell-Horn-Carroll cognitive ability taxonomy to ensure coverage of available assessments of EF and related subdomains. PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched to identify peer-reviewed studies that compared children with CP with neurotypical controls up to April 2025. A total of 43 studies with 448 effect sizes based on the EF and related cognitive task performance of 1240 participants with CP and 1554 neurotypical children were included. A large effect size for reduced performance across EF and related cognitive measures was identified in children with CP (Hedges' g = -.85) and effect sizes differed across EF and related ability subdomains, with greater effect sizes observed for processing speed, long-term memory, and visual-spatial skills. Measurement validity was impacted differentially by EF and related subdomain, type of outcome measure, and level of motor impairment. Timed measures were associated with larger effect sizes, and measures that accommodated motor difficulties showed smaller effects, highlighting the potential for non-EF factors to confound the validity of EF and related ability assessments. Aligning participant capability with assessment demand will benefit accurate evaluation of cognitive function and guide targeted interventions for people with CP.

Indexed as

Cattell-Horn-Carroll theoryCerebral palsyCognitive assessmentExecutive functionMeasurement validityUnity-diversity theory

Identifiers

PMID42501197

DOI10.3390/jcm13071867

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.