The Mini-Mental State Pediatric Examination

A brief screening of the cognitive functions can be very useful in clinical practice. For instance, cognitive screening is often conducted to facilitate early detection of cognitive decline in adult and elderly patients. The Mini-Mental State Examination is broadly used worldwide; it addresses key cognitive functions and provides a global score, which may prompt the clinician (e.g., general doctor or neurologist) to refer the patient for further neuropsychological assessment. Similarly, in the developmental age, a screening test might be convenient to identify children with cognitive difficulties and delays, to monitor cognitive functions over time, to indicate whether a further neuropsychological assessment is needed. Over the past 20 years, a few attempts have been made to provide clinicians with a cognitive screening test targeting the pediatric age. We will review those attempts and present the Mini-Mental State Pediatric Examination, a cognitive screening test developed for the Italian population.