The state of neuropsychological test norms for Spanish-speaking adults in the United States

Abstract

Objective: The present review paper aimed to identify published neuropsychological test norms developed for Spanish-speakers living in the United States (U.S.).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature via an electronic search on PubMed using keywords “Normative data,” “Neuropsychological test,” “norms”, “Hispanic/Latinos,” “Spanish Speakers,” and “United States.” We added other studies and published manuals as identified by citations in papers from the original search.

Results

Eighteen sources of normative data for Spanish-speakers in the U.S. were identified. Of the 18 citations identified, only four provide normative data on comprehensive batteries of tests for Spanish-Speakers. Two of these are based on persons living in the southwest of the U.S., who tend to be of Mexican origin. Overall, a number of the studies are focused on older persons and although the majority include participants with wide ranges of education, participants in the ends of the education distribution tend to be underrepresented.

Conclusion: Here we provide a detailed description of the neuropsychological normative data currently available for Spanish-speakers living in the U.S. While there has been increased attention towards developing norms for neuropsychological batteries in Spanish-speaking countries (e.g., Latin America and Spain), there is still an urgent need to standardize neuropsychological tests among diverse groups of Spanish-speaking adults living in the U.S. The present review presents a list of norms for U.S.-dwelling Spanish-speakers, thus providing an important tool for clinicians and researchers.

Keywords:

• Hispanic/Latino
• neuropsychological tests
• norms
• Spanish-speakers

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (P30MH62512; K23MH105297; P30AG059299, T32MH019934) and the UCSD Hispanic Center of Excellence (Health Resources and Services Administration grant D34HP31027).