Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function® (BRIEF®)

Purpose: Assess impairment of executive function

Ages:  5 to 18 years

Time: 10-15 minutes to administer; 15-20 minutes to score

Administration: Individual

Utilizes parent and teacher input in the evaluation of the child's behavioral functioning. Useful in evaluating children with a wide spectrum of developmental and acquired neurological conditions such as learning disabiliites, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pervasive developmental disorders/autism and traumatic brain injury.

The BRIEF consists of 2 rating forms-a parent questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire-designed to assess exective functionng in the home and school environments. Each questionnaire contains 86 items. The BRIEF assesses 8 clinical scales that fall within 2 major areas (Indexes), Behavioral Regulation and Metacogntion  as described below: 

Behavioral Regulation- Clinical Scales:

Inhibit: Control impulses; stop behavior

Shift: Move freely from one activity/situation to another; transition; problem-solve flexibly

Emotional Control: Modulate emotional responses appropriately

Metacognition- Clincial Scales:

Initiate: Begin activity; generate ideas

Working Memory: Hold information in mind for purpose of completing a task

Plan/Organize: Anticipate future events; set goals; develop steps; grasp main ideas

Organization of Materials

Monitor: Check work; assess own performance

Separate normative tables for both the parent and teacher froms provide T scores, percentiles, and 90% confidence intervals for four developmental age groups (5-18 years) by gender of the child.