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BRIEF2A: The New Gold Standard in Adult Executive Function Assessment

Published

 

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®, Second Edition–Adult Version (BRIEF2A) is now available! 

 

Are you ready to take executive function testing to the next level with your adult clients? 

Meet the new BRIEF2A - set to become your new favorite tool in assessing the executive function of your adult patients.  

The BRIEF2A builds on the solid foundation of the original BRIEF-A. This standardized rating scale offers a comprehensive view of self-regulation, capturing insights from both individuals and informed observers, giving you access to a powerful tool that delivers greater insights into the executive function of your adult clients in their everyday lives. 

This tool guides informed decision-making and facilitates tailored interventions that are responsive to individual needs. With its expanded age range, updated normative data, and innovative three-factor model, the BRIEF2A meets the evolving demands of clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and school psychologists across diverse settings. 

Understanding Executive Function  

Executive functions are cognitive processes that help facilitate goal-directed behavior, including the initiation, execution, monitoring, and inhibition of actions, emotions, and thoughts. They involve task setting, attention control, performance monitoring, and cognitive flexibility. Primarily associated with the frontal lobes, particularly the prefrontal cortex, executive functions serve as self-regulatory mechanisms that organize and manage behaviors and cognitive activities (Stuss & Alexander, 2000). 

What's New in the BRIEF2A? 

The BRIEF2A takes executive function assessment to the next level, offering clear and reliable insights into an adult’s self-regulation in daily life through self-reports and informant reports. It also provides administration options, including paper and pencil and online via PARiConnect. 

This updated tool provides a level of sophistication not seen in competitor models, including: 

  • Expanded Normative Sample: The normative data is based on the 2021 U.S. Census, making it more inclusive and representative of today’s population. It also includes updated combined-sex norms and allows clinicians to choose pronouns for use in interpretive and feedback reports. 

  • 3-Factor Model for Clearer Insights: This three-factor model includes behavioral, emotional, and cognitive regulation, providing clinicians with a clear understanding of executive function deficits. 

  • Extended Age Ranges Up to 99 Years: Assessments can be used with older adults, with age ranges extending up to 99 years to reflect increasing life expectancy. 

  • Shorter and More Efficient: The number of items has been reduced from 75 to 70, making the assessment quicker for clinicians to administer with no impact to its effectiveness. 

  • Spanish-Translated Forms Available: Spanish-speaking adults can now access the tool, improving its relevance and usability for a broader audience. 

  • New Multirater Report for Comprehensive Perspectives: This feature now allows clinicians to compare scores from different raters, revealing discrepancies between self-reports and informant reports so they can tailor interventions more effectively. 

  • Progress Monitoring to Track Change Over Time: Clinicians can track changes by collecting ratings 4–6 months after the initial assessment, which allows them to evaluate responses to interventions. 

  • Two Retest Samples for Reliable Monitoring: The short retest sample (2–4 weeks) ensures test–retest reliability and allows for calculating reliable change indices (RCIs) for immediate effects. The long retest sample (4–6 months) assesses responses to therapy, with Progress Monitoring Reports on PARiConnect flagging significant rating changes over time. 

New Reporting Features for Enhanced Assessment 

The BRIEF2A includes both self-report and informant report forms, available in print and digital formats. The self-report form is completed by the adult being assessed, whereas the informant report form is filled out by someone familiar with the individual, such as a caregiver or family member. This approach ensures a more accurate assessment of executive function, especially in cases of traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia, where self-assessment alone may not provide a complete picture. 

Who Can Order the BRIEF2A? 

The BRIEF2A is intended for clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and counseling psychologists working in group and individual private practices, hospitals, and hospital-based rehabilitation clinics, and for school psychologists working in K-12 school systems who develop transition plans for students with IEPs preparing for life after high school.  

To ensure the appropriate use of this tool, only qualified professionals with a qualification level B are eligible to order the BRIEF2A (see below for specific criteria). 

Qualification Level: B 

Professionals eligible to purchase the BRIEF2A include those with a degree from an accredited four-year college or university in psychology, counseling, speech-language pathology, or a closely related field. They must also have completed coursework in test interpretation, psychometrics, and educational statistics or possess appropriate licensing or certification in the ethical and competent use of psychological tests. 

Learn more about how the newly updated BRIEF2A can help you assess executive function in your adult clients. 

Sources 

Stuss, D. T., & Alexander, M. P. (2000). Executive functions and the frontal lobes: a conceptual view. Psychological research, 63(3–4), 289–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004269900007 

Adult executive function BRIEF2A