Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) & BRIEF-A (adult 

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF2)

Title/Author(s):
Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C., & Kenworthy, L.

Year of Publication & Publisher:
Published in 2015 by Psychological Assessment Resources.

Assessment Details

Types of Assessment:
1. Standardized: The BRIEF2 is a structured assessment with specific administration and scoring protocols, ensuring consistency and reliability.
2. Criterion-Referenced: The BRIEF2 evaluates executive function based on an individual’s performance relative to established criteria rather than comparing to a normative sample.

Cost & Accessibility:
- Hand-scored kit: $569.00

• Digital kit: $722.00

• Available for purchase through psychological assessment providers and official BRIEF2 distributors.

• Additional scoring forms and resources may be purchased separately.

Population & Setting:
- Designed for boys and girls ages 5-18 through parent and teacher report forms.

• The self-report form is available for boys and girls ages 11-18.

• Applicable across clinical, educational, and research settings to assess executive function in children and adolescents.

• Frequently used in schools, hospitals, neuropsychology clinics, and mental health settings to evaluate cognitive regulation and behavior.

Purpose & Areas Assessed:
- The BRIEF2 is a comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate executive functioning in children and adolescents.

• It measures key executive function skills such as inhibition, self-monitoring, emotional control, working memory, planning/organization, and task completion.

• Helps identify executive function deficits that may be associated with ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, and other neurological or psychological conditions.

• Results help guide educational planning, therapeutic interventions, and clinical decision-making.

Administration & Scoring

Administration:
- Time Required: 10-15 minutes per form.

• Format: Administered individually using paper or digital formats.

• Subtests: Includes parent, teacher, and self-report questionnaires, assessing multiple components of executive functioning.

• Frequency: Can be re-administered periodically to track progress and treatment efficacy.

User Qualifications:
- The BRIEF2 can be administered and scored by individuals without specialized training in neuropsychology or psychology.

• However, interpretation of results is recommended to be conducted by a trained professional such as a clinical psychologist, school psychologist, occupational therapist, or neuropsychologist.

Materials Required:
- Professional Manual (detailed administration and interpretation guide).

• Parent Form (completed by a parent or caregiver).

• Teacher Form (completed by an educator familiar with the child’s behavior in a structured setting).

• Self-Report Form (for adolescents aged 11-18).

• Fast Guide (summarized scoring and interpretation guide).

Scoring:
1. Prepare the Scoring Sheet: Remove the perforated strips and detach the top part of the carbonless form to reveal the scoring section.
2. Transfer Scores: Copy the circled responses from the questionnaire to the corresponding boxes in the scoring sheet.
3. Calculate Subtotals: Sum item scores within each column to obtain scale subtotals.
4. Index Scores: Compute combined scores for the following:

• Behavior Regulation Index (BRI): Sum of the Inhibit and Self-Monitor scales.

• Emotion Regulation Index (ERI): Sum of the Shift and Emotional Control scales.

• Cognitive Regulation Index (CRI): Sum of Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Task-Monitor, and Organization of Materials scales.

5. Global Executive Composite (GEC): Sum the BRI, ERI, and CRI raw scores to generate the overall executive function score.

6. Normative Interpretation: Use Appendix B of the BRIEF2 Professional Manual to convert raw scores into T scores and percentiles, providing standardized comparisons.

7. Confidence Interval (CI) Analysis: Determine 90% CI values for each scale and enter them in the scoring summary table.

8. Interpret Results: Compare scores to the normative sample to identify significant executive function impairments and potential intervention strategies.

Psychometrics/Standardization:
- Reliability: Studies indicate high internal consistency and excellent test-retest reliability across age groups.

• Validity: Supported by research on content validity, construct validity, and criterion-related validity in children with and without executive dysfunction.

• Norms: Standardized for ages 5-18, with norms derived from large, representative samples of children across various demographics.

Critical Analysis

Strengths & Weaknesses:
- Strengths:

• Provides detailed, multi-informant assessment of executive function (parent, teacher, and self-report perspectives).

• Quick administration makes it practical for school and clinical settings.

• Well-researched and widely used, ensuring strong psychometric properties.

• Effective in diagnosing and tracking executive function difficulties over time.

• Allows for differentiation between behavioral, emotional, and cognitive regulatory impairments, which aids in targeted interventions.

- Weaknesses:

• Expensive, with a digital kit costing over $700, which may be a barrier for some institutions.

• Self-report measures are subject to bias, particularly in younger children.

• Cultural and environmental factors may influence responses, affecting cross-cultural validity.

• Requires skilled interpretation for accurate clinical and educational recommendations.

BRIEF-2 VS BRIEF-A