Preliminary evaluation of the cognitive and linguistic scale: A measure to assess recovery in inpatient rehabilitation following pediatric brain injury

Objective: A preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of the Cognitive and Linguistic Scale (CALS), a measure of cognitive and linguistic recovery following brain injury in children and adolescents. Participants: One hundred children and adolescents (aged 2-19 years) with acquired or traumatic brain injury were included. Methods: The CALS was administered at inpatient rehabilitation admission and discharge. Results: Internal consistency and interrater reliability were high. Factor analysis revealed 2 factors (basic responding, higher-level cognitive skills). Correlations with the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) ranged from 0.51 to 0.89; highest correlation was between WeeFIM cognitive domain and CALS total score. CALS scores improved significantly between admission and discharge. Conclusion: On the basis of these preliminary analyses, the CALS is a promising measure to track cognitive and linguistic recovery in children and adolescents with brain injury during inpatient rehabilitation.