Performance on the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) among a large clinic-referred pediatric sample

Abstract

Growing concerns with suboptimal effort in pediatric populations have led clinicians to investigate the utility of symptom validity tests (SVT) among children and adolescents. Performance on the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) was analyzed among a clinical sample of individuals ranging in age from 5 through 16 years. The 101 patients were referred for a variety of learning, developmental, psychiatric, and neurological concerns. All children were administered the TOMM as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation. Within the sample, 4 patients did not meet the adult cutoff criteria for passing the TOMM. Three of the 4 patients also demonstrated suboptimal effort on another SVT. Results revealed statistically significant correlations between TOMM performance and age, intelligence, and memory. Despite these correlations, 97 out of the 101 performed at or above the adult cutoff score. The findings suggest that children perform similarly to adults on the TOMM and that the TOMM is appropriate for use with pediatric clinical populations as young as 5 years.

Keywords:

• Neuropsychological assessment
• Effort testing
• Symptom validity tests
• Test of Memory Malingering
• Pediatric

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Jennifer J. Kirk for her suggestions and review of previous drafts. Portions of this research were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, San Diego, California, June 2009.