This study examined the speculation that the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) might be a relatively culture-free neuropsychological test. The relationship between level of acculturation and performance on the Spanish version of the WCST was investigated, using a sample of Mexican American adults (N=52). When the sample was divided into two groups based on level of acculturation as measured by the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans--2nd Edition, within-group contrasts demonstrated that higher levels of acculturation significantly improved performance on the WCST. The performance of this sample was compared to select Spanish norms, finding no clinically significant differences. Contrasts with English norms for the WCST yielded significant differences on a majority of the WCST measures, demonstrating that the English norms are inappropriate for use with this population. This study concludes that the WCST is not a culture-free neuropsychological test.

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Most studies of adults infected with Lyme disease (LD) have found adverse cognitive effects from the disease. In contrast, the only controlled study investigating cognitive effects of LD in a pediatric population found no effects after a 2-year follow-up. However, it was questioned whether the negative effects might take longer than 2 years to emerge. Therefore, this investigation reports a 4-year follow-up of the original sample. Twenty-five children with strictly defined LD were compared with 17 sibling control children. A neuropsychological battery was utilized, including assessment of the cognitive areas of IQ, information processing speed, fine-motor dexterity, novel problem solving and executive functioning, short-term and intermediate memory, and acquisition of new learning. In addition, parents' subjective ratings were obtained on the disease's impact on their child's participation in everyday activities. No between-group differences were found for 17 of the 18 neuropsychological test measures, nor were there differences in parents' subjective ratings. Therefore, in contrast with studies of adults with LD, the results of long-term follow-up of the pediatric population continue to strongly support the finding that children treated appropriately for LD have an excellent prognosis for normal cognitive functioning.

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Children were included in this challenge study if according to parental report (1) the child's hyperactive behavior had been noticeably improved for at least 3 mo. as a result of adherence to the Feingold diet and (2) dietary violations such as those used in the study were reported to have a noticeable negative effect. Evaluations of 14 objective measures in a double-blind, cross-over design yielded no significant differences between diet infraction and noninfraction conditions. In addition to questioning the stated efficacy of the diet, findings suggest that one should not depend solely on parental report when evaluating a dietary effect and should also weight potential negative effect of adherence to the diet.

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Use of this Score Report requires a thorough understanding of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, 2nd Ed. (WRAML2), including its administration and the various interpretations, applications, and limitations, as presented in the WRAML2 Administration and Technical Manual. Users should be familiar with the standardization and psychometric characteristics of the WRAML2 found in the WRAML2 Administration and Technical Manual. This report should be used as only one source of information about the individual being evaluated. In this respect, no decisions should be based solely on the information contained in this report. The findings contained in this report should be integrated with other sources of information when making clinical decisions. The primary purpose of this report is to provide a general interpretation of the data collected to assist the clinician in the development of hypotheses about a client's learning processes and memory functioning. This report is confidential and is intended for use only by qualified professionals who have sufficient knowledge of individual testing, of cognition, and of the WRAML2. This report should not be released to the respondent or to any individuals who are not qualified to interpret the results.

No abstract