An observational study in Child Development and Cognitive Impairment, sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 17 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-06.
Sponsored by University of Aberdeen · Observational
Diagnosing and documenting the presence of abnormal change in cognitive functions (such as reasoning abilities) in children over time is of upmost importance when it comes to evaluating the impact of neurological injury, disease, and interventions designed to help improve wellbeing. Unfortunately however, current methods for detecting cognitive impairment and monitoring for abnormal cognitive change in children over time are seriously flawed. By assessing typically developing children's cognitive functioning at two different time points, this study intends to generate new normative data that will significantly improve measurement accuracy when it comes to evaluating the impact of neurological injury and disease on a child's cognitive abilities.
Neurological injury and disease can substantially affect how children's brains work. This can severely impair cognitive abilities and general development. On a day-to-day level, completing everyday tasks, socialising successfully with peers, and getting on with school work can become much more difficult than it was before.
Helpfully, supports and treatments are available that can reduce the negative effects of neurological impairment on a child's cognitive functioning in order to maximise developmental outcomes. However, to deliver appropriate interventions, we must correctly estimate the impact of injury or illness on cognitive abilities and accurately measure how successful treatments are at improving outcomes. Unfortunately, reliable ways of doing this simply do not exist at this time. Consequently, accurate disease (effects) monitoring is seriously undermined; potentially compromising a child's medical management and, thereby, future developmental outcomes.
This study intends to addresses this grave shortcoming by developing reliable ways of measuring the cognitive effects of neurological disease or injury at diagnosis and beyond. Of note, by providing a mechanism to better inform clinical/medical management decisions, completion of this study will help contribute to health and social care aims of enabling children to realise their developmental potential.
3,872 studies on the registry are indexed under Cognitive Dysfunction; 1,119 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 100 is below the median of 150 across 997 observational studies indexed under Cognitive Dysfunction.
Browse Cognitive Dysfunction studies →University of Aberdeen is the lead sponsor of 176 studies on the registry; 24 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
A group of schoolchildren (aged between 6 years and 16 years 11 months) from the general paediatric population will be recruited
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A group of 'typically' developing children (aged between 6 years and 16 years 11 months) from the general paediatric population will be recruited; with the sample distributed evenly across 6 age bands (i.e. ages 6-7 years, 8-9 years, 10-11 years, 12-13 years, 14-15 years, and 16 years+).
Other: Cognitive test administration
Specifically chosen cognitive tests will be administered to all participants twice; with an approximate 12 month gap between initial testing and follow-up testing.
Obtained intelligence quotient (IQ) score
A child's obtained Full Scale IQ score from a standardised assessment of intelligence constitutes the main outcome variable for this study
Time frame: Baseline
Change in obtained intelligence quotient (IQ) score (at 12 month follow-up)
A child's obtained Full Scale IQ score at 12 months follow-up also constitutes a main outcome variable for this study
Time frame: 12 months
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Oct 2019 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2026, 82 months after the start.
Of 504 non-industry observational studies under Cognitive Dysfunction, half reached primary completion within 49 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 22 and three quarters within 118. This study's planned 82 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 543 studies reached it within 47 months; a quarter within 21 and three quarters within 118.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.
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