Clock drawing test strategies among older adults with and without cognitive impairment

UNLABELLED: In addition to being used as a screening test, the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) has been used to evaluate executive functioning in older adults. Using a new validated scoring method that classifies CDT construction - planning and organizing strategies -, published in a previous article, the strategies used to perform the test in older adults with cognitive impairment were investigated. OBJECTIVE: Describe and classify the planning strategies used by older adults with cognitive impairment to perform the CDT, using the CDT Strategies scoring method. METHODS: The study included 86 older adults, divided into three groups: 45 with mild cognitive impairment, 13 with major cognitive impairment, and 28 controls. RESULTS: The analysis of the results emphasized CDT strategies and the neuropsychological profile of older adults. The subcategories associated with better executive functioning decrease in occurrence as cognitive impairment becomes more pronounced, and the subcategories associated with worse executive functioning increase in frequency. CONCLUSION: The qualitative analysis proposed by CDT Strategies has clinical utility as a measure of executive functioning.