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The validity and reliability of the modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination with children was examined. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination was administered to 99 children between 4 and 12 years of age (45 males and 54 females) to assess expected scores for nonclinical children and with a clinical sample. Concurrent validity was assessed through correlations of Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores with Wechsler Intelligence scores and Child Behavior Checklist scores. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination was administered to 26 children on two occasions to determine test-retest reliability. Means and standard deviations of scores are reported by age and grade level. Test-retest reliability coefficients were positively significant. For the nonclinical sample, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly and positively correlated with Verbal IQ and Child Behavior Checklist scores. Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly correlated with Verbal IQ scores in the total and clinical samples. (J Child Neurol 1997;12:455-460).
Examination of cognitive function should be a routine part of neurologic examinations for children presenting with learning disabilities or disturbances in development, thinking process, or memory.1,2 To date there has been only one published study concerning the use of mental status examinations with children.2 Ouvrier and colleagues (1993)2 conducted a preliminary study assessing the Mini-Mental State Examination when used with children. The subjects in the study were 117 patients ranging in age from 4 to 15 years. All patients were referred to a pediatric neurology clinic, and the Mini-Mental State Examination was administered at the conclusion of the examination. Numerous changes in administration and scoring of the Mini-Mental State Examination were incorporated by the researchers to make the test easier for younger children. Data from a subgroup of 29 of the children were separately analyzed to form a "quasi" control group and intelligence test scores were known for 32 of the children.
Results indicated significant correlations between MiniMental State Examination scores and age, Full Scale IQ scores, and Mental Age for the sample as a whole. Correlations with age were greater for the control group. The authors reported that Mini-Mental State Examination scores tended to reach a ceiling at approximately 9 years of age. This is contradictory to findings in studies with adults, in which the 8th year of education tended...