Overview of the Test of Everyday Attention-Children 2nd Edition (TEA-Ch2)

Madeline ArmstrongConsultant Psychologist

Test of Everyday Attention for Children – Second Edition (TEA-Ch 2)

• What is attention?

• Review of original TEA-Ch

• Revision goals

• TEA-Ch 2 overview

• UK standardisation

• Commercialisation

What is Attention?

• The the thing we are focusing on, thinking about, remembering or

doing.

• Not always under our control (eg. bright, loud, moving, and

attractive events)

• To achieve goals, we must exert some control to

○ Select

○ Focus

○ Maintain focus

• Attentional abilities are central to almost all daily activities

Different types of Attention?

• Selective attention – ability to look for particular object, sound, or

sensation

• Sustained attention – over a long period of time

• Task-switching – ‘mental flexibility’

• Divided attention – completing 2 tasks simultaneously or

monitoring 2 streams of information

What does the research say?

• Statistical evidence for important distinctions between different

types of attention

• Distinct clusters of performance can be observed among the

generally positive correlations between different types of attention

(Parasuramanm 1998; Robertson et al., 1996; Manly, Anderson,

Nimmo-Smith, Turner, Watson et al., 2001; Underbjerg et al., 2013)

Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) (Manly et al. 1998)

•Derived from the Test of Everyday Attention

• Ages 6-16 – Normative sample = 293 Australian children

• Non-computerised measures using game-like engaging tasks (exploding sounds)

• 9 subtests: sustained attention, selective attention and executive control

• Translations – Dutch, German, French, Swedish; Sold worldwide

Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch)

Customer Survey Feedback & Results

- Too long!

- Relatively small sample, divided into boys and girls means.

- Some tasks can be too challenging for the youngest children (noise)

- Some tasks difficult to administer (noise)

- No computerized tests (e.g. of reaction time)

- No computerized scoring (errors)

- No measures/norms of spatial attention

Aims in developing the TEA-Ch 2

• Be shorter and better!

• Extend down to 5-year olds

• Develop age appropriate versions for younger (5-7) and older (8-16) children

• Use comic format, certificate and stickers (where age appropriate) to engage children

• Maintain popular pen and paper format where possible; Move difficult to administer tests to computer admin

• Allow sophisticated computerized scoring

• Collect a better normative sample

Test of Everyday Attention for Children-2

Test of Everyday Attention – Second Edition (TEA-Ch 2)

• There are 2 versions of the assessment :

- TEA-Ch 2 J for 5 – 7 year olds- 7 subtests- Administration time: 35 minutes

- TEA-Ch 2 A for 8 – 16 year olds- 9 subtests- Administration time: 45 minutes

TEA-Ch2

• TEA-Ch J is for children aged 5 years to 7 years. The following subtests are administered: – Selective Attention– Balloon Hunt, Hide and Seek Visual– Sustained Attention – Barking, SART, Simple RT, Hide and Seek Auditory

• TEA-Ch A is for children aged 8 years to 15 years 11 months. The following subtests are administered: – Selective Attention – Hector Cancellation, Troy Dual Task, Hecuba Visual Search– Sustained Attention – Vigil, SART, Simple RT, Cerberus T– Switching Attention – Red & Blues, Bags & Shoes

TEA-Ch 2 – J for 5 – 7 year olds

Subtests

Subtests are introduced around a story of an alien character and his dog

• Balloon Hunt• Balloons 5• Hide and Seek – Visual• Barking• Hide and Seek – Auditory• Simple Reaction Time (Simple RT)• Sustained Attention to Response (SART)

Detailed Administration of TEA-Ch2J

What do You need: Special red

penDetailed Manual

Comic

Blank sheet to cover stimuli

Stickers

Up-to-spec computer + internet

USB powered speakers

Digital stopwatch Up-to-date

browser

Important to Note

• TEA-Ch2 is not available on Q-interactive

• TEA-Ch2 does not require Q-global for scoring

• TEA-Ch 2 uses a USB flash drive (or memory stick) for installation, and scoring of the entire test. But it is not limited to a single install.

• Install can be on any laptop. You don’t need to be on the internet to administer or to score the test. (It was not designed for an IPad device.)

• You still need to give paper and pencil (or pen) tasks.

Starting the Test

● Alien character is introduced

● Certificate shown

● Star awarded as every subtest is

completed

Balloon Hunt

• Measure of Visual Selective Attention

- Based on TEA-Ch Map Mission

• Paper and pencil task

• Visual timed cancellation task

• Child has to cross off balloons in simple

and complex arrays

• Multiple items - increase reliability

• Computer aided administration for time

Balloons 5• Measures spatial attention

- Based on TEA-Ch Map Mission

• Cancellation of now familiar targets without time limit

Balloons 5

Scoring: Record time taken, targets marked (L/R)

Hide-and-Seek Visual

• Visual selective attention without motor

response

- Based on TEA-Ch Sky Search

• Examinee asked to examine panels and

report whether a target is present or absent.

• Provides a measure of an examinee’s ability

to focus on a visual target amongst

distractors, and it measures the speed of the

examinee’s responses.

• Practice item and two test pages for this

subtest.

• Timing from the computer.

Hide-and-seek Visual

• Scoring: Record correct, incorrect and total responses for both versions

Barking

• Measures sustained attention (with counting control)- Based on TEA-Ch Score!

• Computerized task

Hide-and-Seek Visual

• Visual selective attention without motor

response

- Based on TEA-Ch Sky Search

• Examinee asked to examine panels and

report whether a target is present or absent.

• Provides a measure of an examinee’s ability

to focus on a visual target amongst

distractors, and it measures the speed of the

examinee’s responses.

• Practice item and two test pages for this

subtest.

• Timing from the computer.

Hide-and-seek Visual

• Scoring: Record correct, incorrect and total responses for both versions

Barking

• Measures sustained attention (with counting control)- Based on TEA-Ch Score!

• Computerized task

Barking

• This is a measure of an examinee’s ability to maintain their attention on a slow, dull task.

• Also provides practice for other counting tasks.

• Examinee asked to count the number of barks they hear on an audio track which is administered by the computer

• Examiner enters child’s response onto the computer

• Scoring: Responses and scoring are automatically recorded by computer

Hide and Seek Auditory

• Measures auditory selective attention

* New Measure*

• Computerized subtest

Hide-and-seek Auditory

• Auditory target-detection task in which the examinee is asked to listen to short sound clips and press the space bar as quickly as possible if a bark occurs. Distractor sounds can also be heard, but examinees are required to ignore these sounds.

• Provides a measure of an examinee’s ability to attend to auditory targets whilst being distracted by frequent non-target sounds.

• Scoring: Responses and scoring are automatically recorded by computer

Simple reaction time

• Measures reaction time and sustained attention * New Measure*

• Examinees are presented a visual stimulus at random intervals and must press the spacebar as soon as they see it

• Scoring: Time for response (msec)• Reaction times for left- and right-sided targets and effect of

pre-cueing on reaction time are also measured.

Sustained Attention to Response Test• Measures sustained attention

*New Measure*

• A set of shapes is presented sequentially in the centre of the monitor at a regular pace that is independent of the child’s response• Child’s task is to respond to each of the shapes by hitting a response key in time with an on-screen cue – but to not respond to one of the shapes (the triangle)• Scoring: Reaction time & accuracy

End of Test

• Award certificate

TEA-Ch 2 – A for 8-15 year olds

Subtests

• Alien themed story with more mature story and visual characterisation

• Hector Cancellation• Hector-B Cancellation• Hecuba Visual Search• Vigil• Troy Dual Task• Cerberus Auditory Task• Simple Reaction Time (Simple RT) Test• Sustained Attention to Response Test (SART)• Reds and Blues, Bags and Shoes (RBBS)

Detailed Administration of TEA-Ch2A

What do You need: Special red

penDetailed Manual

Blank sheet to cover stimuli

Stickers

Up-to-spec computer + internet

USB powered speakers

Digital stopwatch Up-to-date

browser

TEA-Ch2A Detailed administration instructions

First, the good news:

Most tasks in TEA-Ch2 A are very similar to those in TEA-Ch2 J

• The Simple Reaction Time and Sustained Attention to Response Test are identical

• Hector cancellation is very like Balloon Hunt

• Hecuba visual search is very like Hide-and-Seek Visual

•Cerberus is very like Hide-and-seek Auditory

• Vigil is very like Barking

Feedback and Encouragement

• There is a sticker for each task and a certificate on back of comic.

• Older examinees may find this patronizing and you should use your judgment/discussion with the examinee to decide whether it would enhance engagement or not.

Hector Cancellation

• Measure of visual selective attention.

- Based on TEA-Ch Map Mission

• Paper and pencil task

• Visual timed cancellation task

• Child has to cross off targets in simple and complex arrays

• Multiple items - increase reliability

• Computer aided administration for time

Hector-B cancellation

• Measures spatial attention - Based on TEA-Ch Map Mission

• Cancellation of now familiar targets without time limit

Hecuba Visual Search

• Visual selective attention without motor response- Based on TEA-Ch Sky Search

Vigil

• Measures sustained attention (with counting control)- Based on TEA-Ch Score!

• Computerized task

Troy Dual-Task

• Measures executive control, switching and divided attention

- Based on TEA-Ch Sky Search DT

• Examinee must complete two tasks at once

• Cross out only the yellow oval targets as quickly as possible.

• Listen to the audio and only count the counting sounds.

• Timed

Troy Dual-Task

• Turn the next page and orient it towards the examinee, with the mountains at the base.

• Administer the 1st test item, playing trial 1 on the computer.

• Repeat for the next three pages using one of the next three audio tracks (Trials 2–4 on the computer) consecutively. Do not give feedback on counting accuracy during test items.

• Record whether the examinee started on the left or right.

*Record the examinee’s counting responses on the scoresheet.

Cerberus auditory task

• Measures auditory selective attention*New Measure*

• Computerized task

Cerberus auditory task

• Auditory target-detection task in which the examinee is asked to listen to short sound clips and press the space bar as quickly as possible if a bark occurs.

•Distractor sounds can also be heard, but examinees are required to ignore these sounds.

• Provides a measure of an examinee’s ability to attend to auditory targets whilst being distracted by frequent non-target sounds.

Simple RT & SART

Identical to the TEA-Ch2J version except accessed via the TEA-Ch2A menu (and the results therefore stored with the correct record)

Reds and Blues, Bags and Shoes

• Measures switching attention- Based on Walk, Don’t Walk

• Computerized task

Reds and Blues, Bags and Shoes• Test of mental flexibility that attempts to estimate the cost of switching between two, in themselves, relatively simple tasks.

• Examinees are asked to practice sorting four repeating stimuli according to colour (red one side of the screen/keyboard, blue the other) and to whether they are held in the hand or worn on the foot.

• Following practice and test sessions with each of these single tasks, they must complete two switching versions in which the screen indicates which of the two alternating rules is in play.

• Scoring: reaction time and accuracy

UK Standardization

UK Sample

TEA-Ch 2 J• 394 children ranging in age from 5-8 years

TEA-Ch 2 A• 621 children ranging in age from 8-16 years of age

Matched to UK demographic variables– Gender– Ethnicity– Family Education– Region

Scaled Scores and Indices

• Demographically adjusted continuous norms– Makes efficient use of standardised sample data– Provides a score expected for someone of that age, gender and family background– Reduces impact of moving from age-band to the next– Computerised scoring makes this approach possible– But what about age-based norms? To be developed.

• Scores provided– Raw Scores– Scaled scores (subtests); Standard scores (indices)– Percentiles– Confidence Intervals

• Subtests and Index Scores– Selective Attention Index– Sustained Attention Index– Everyday Attention Index

TEA-Ch 2 Subtest and Indices

Evidence of Reliability

• Some notes about reliability– Tests with many items, tests with few– Limited ranges of scores in typically developing samples– Variability is what attentional tests measure

• Evidence of Internal Consistency○ TEA-Ch 2 J: Ranged from excellent to moderate○ TEA-Ch 2 A: Ranged from excellent to moderate○ Indexes: Ranged from excellent to good for both versions

• Evidence of Test-Retest○ TEA-Ch 2 J: Ranged from high to lower○ TEA-Ch 2 A: Ranged from high to moderate○ Indexes: Ranged from high to moderate for both versions

Evidence of Validity

• Content

• Internal Structure– Factor Analysis based showed model with Selective and Sustained Attention

• Relationship with other variables– Correlations with Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire– Correlations with WISC-IV (n=83 J) (n=148 A)

• Special Group Studies– Children with difficulties in Attention & Behaviour (n=139)– Children who have had a stroke (n=29)– Children treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (n=24)

Pearson Clinical Assessment

Madeline ArmstrongConsultant Psychologist

madeline.armstrong@pearson.comM: 0478 307 132

Client Services1800 882 385 (Australia)

0800 942 722 (NZ)www.pearsonclinical.com.au

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