ART’s primary tool for studying executive functions (EFs) is the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©). This test was developed by Dr Jansari and his team by taking into account the limitations in the literature regarding current standard clinical EF assessments and their application to real life performance. JEF© is an ecologically valid test that assesses a number of different aspects of executive functioning simultaneously instead of having separate assessments for each executive function.
JEF-A and JEF-C have also been developed in order to assess executive functioning in adolescents and children respectively. JEFc© is currently being used in a children’s hospital in Northern Italy (and hopefully soon in Dublin) as an assessment tool for children with brain injury.
The team has also already translated JEF© into multiple languages including Hebrew and Persian. We are working on ways to adapt the assessments to allow for remote testing. This is very exciting because it would bring about more data, research and clinical use of JEF©.
The executive functions group within ART are currently using JEF© for several projects:
- To assess executive functions of ex-offenders with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Investigating executive functions and the effect of depression in eating disorders
- Comparing the executive functions of people with epilepsy and people without
- Investigating the relationship between social anxiety disorder and executive function
- Executive function in Looked After Children (LAC)
- The effect of executive function on affective control (emotion regulation)
- Exploring the executive functioning profiles of adults with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
