Development of Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents: Establishment of a Reference Norm for the Assessment of Executive Functions in Ecological Settings (eEFEe Tool)

NCT07654920 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2023-A02174-41
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 144
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this interventional study is to develop a normative reference for the ecological assessment of executive functions in children and adolescents using the eEFEe tool. Executive functions are high-level cognitive abilities that support planning, behavioral regulation, and problem solving in everyday life. Current neuropsychological tests often fail to reflect real-life functioning. The eEFEe tool was designed to assess these abilities through tasks that simulate daily situations. The study will include healthy children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years, enrolled in regular schools in France. Participants will complete the eEFEe ecological tasks, as well as standardized cognitive and social cognition assessments, and parents will provide sociodemographic information. Results from this study will be used to establish reference norms for the eEFEe tool and to examine how executive function performance varies according to age, cognitive development, and sociodemographic factors. These normative data will later support the clinical use of the eEFEe tool to better identify executive difficulties in children and adolescents.

Conditions

Executive Functions (EF); Cognitive Development; Normative Data

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Number of successful actions on ecological assessments of executive functions in children (eEFEe test)

  The eEFEe consists of six everyday tasks, adapted for different age groups in line with clinical and educational practices in the field. Each task is divided into several steps. Each step is scored according to the level of completion. An overall success score is assigned to each task. A high score indicates that the task has been successfully completed, while a low score indicates partial completion or failure to complete the task. The tasks in question are: * Document sorting * Board game * Swimming bag and school bag * Vidéo game * Cooking * DIY

  "eEFEe" visit : Between Day 0 and Day 60

• Number of errors on ecological assessments of executive functions in children (eEFEe test)

  Number of errors on the eEFEe test. The number of errors that occurred during the task is recorded. These are categorised into two types: action errors and behavioural errors. Action errors include omissions, incomplete actions, additional actions, sequencing errors and the identification of errors without correction. Behavioural errors include difficult decisions, dependency, failure to take advantage of assistance provided, lack of initiative, distractibility, lack of engagement with the environment, dangerous behaviour, inappropriate behaviour and interventions by the therapist. Test tasks : * Document sorting * Board game * Swimming bag and school bag * Vidéo game * Cooking * DIY

  "eEFEe" visit : Between Day 0 and Day 60

• Performance on ecological assessments of executive functions in children (eEFEe test)

  administration time for each assessment on the eEFEe test. Test tasks : * Document sorting * Board game * Swimming bag and school bag * Vidéo game * Cooking * DIY

  'eEFEe' visit: between Day 0 and Day 60

• Performance on ecological assessments of executive functions in children (eEFEe test)

  Assessment of task habituation For each task, the participant is asked whether they usually perform it in their daily life. They can answer either "yes" or "no." Test tasks : * Document sorting * Board game * Swimming bag and school bag * Vidéo game * Cooking * DIY

  'eEFEe' visit: between Day 0 and Day 60

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Correlation with social cognition assessments

  At the end of the study, when all the data have been collected

• Correlation with standardized cognitive assessments

  At the end of the study, when all the data have been collected

• Influence of sociodemographic factors

  Baseline Visit : Day 0

• Age-related performance differences

  Baseline visit : Day 0

Study Arms (1)

eEFEe Assessment - Children/Adolescents and Parents

EXPERIMENTAL

Children/Adolescents (7-18 years): Complete standardized cognitive and social cognition assessments and the eEFEe ecological executive function tasks. The ecological assessment includes six real-life tasks adapted to age and is video-recorded for later scoring of successes, errors, and verbal/non-verbal behaviors. Parents/Legal Guardians: Complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and the BRIEF Parent Form to provide information on family, schooling, and child behavior related to executive functions.

Behavioral: eEFEe Ecological Assessment and Standardized Testing

Interventions

eEFEe Ecological Assessment and Standardized Testing BEHAVIORAL

Children/Adolescents: Complete the eEFEe ecological executive function tasks (six daily-life tasks adapted to age) and standardized cognitive and social cognition tests (NEPSY-II, WISC-V/WAIS, Rey Figure, etc.). Sessions are video-recorded for later scoring. Parents/Legal Guardians: Complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and the BRIEF Parent Form to assess executive-related behaviors in daily life.

eEFEe Assessment - Children/Adolescents and Parents

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 7 to 18 years 11 months
• Enrolled in regular schools in France since early primary education
• Assent provided by child/adolescent and consent by parents/legal guardians; or consent by participant if 18 years old
• Covered by the French national health insurance system
• Provided written consent
• Have a child participating in the DFEE study

You may not qualify if:

• \- Significant motor impairments preventing completion of the eEFEe assessment
• \- Insufficient spoken French proficiency preventing collection of sociodemographic data

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Mutualiste de Rééducation et de Réadaptation Fonctionnelles de Kerpape: lead

Study Sites (1)

LP3C - Université Rennes II

Rennes, 35043, France

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 18, 2026
• First Posted: June 17, 2026
• Study Start: February 6, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 2, 2025
• Study Completion: December 12, 2025
• Last Updated: June 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

FR (1)