Children and Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Ecological Assessment Tools and Cognitive Analysis

This Reprint presents an integrated overview of current research on ecological assessment tools and cognitive analysis in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The collected works reflect a shift from isolated, component-based cognitive testing toward performance-oriented, context-sensitive approaches that emphasize real-world functioning and participation. Functional cognition is conceptualized as a dynamic interaction between cognitive abilities, task demands, environmental contexts, and strategy use. The contributions demonstrate that traditional decontextualized assessments provide limited insight into everyday functioning and potential for learning.

Across the articles, a consistent movement toward top-down assessment models emerges, focusing on meaningful occupations, naturalistic task performance, and daily participation across diverse populations and cognitive domains. A central theme of the Reprint is the growing role of digital and immersive technologies, including virtual reality, mobile platforms, and ecological momentary assessment, in creating controlled yet authentic contexts for functional cognitive evaluation.

Overall, this Reprint advances a person-centered, participation-focused perspective and offers a framework for developing ecologically valid, technology-enhanced assessment tools for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 372586974X
• ISBN13: 9783725869749
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Mdpi AG
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.7" x 9.6"