Reliability and validity of the Arabic version of brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis in Egyptian pediatric multiple sclerosis patients

•Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the leading causes of disability in young adults. The onset of MS during developmental age makes pediatric patients particularly susceptible to cognitive impairment.•An early and systematic neuropsychological assessment is recommended in pediatric onset MS) POMS) for appropriate counselling and management.•BICAMS is a feasible approach to cognitive screening in POMS and adults.•Arabic version of BICAMS is a reliable and valid tool for the cognitive assessment of pediatric MS patients in different clinical and research settings. About one-third of pediatric-onset MS (POMS) patients report cognitive impairment. This case-control study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) in Egyptian POMS patients. A case-control study was conducted on 30 POMS patients aged 9 to 17 years old and 30 healthy controls. Both groups underwent the following tests: neuropsychological testing using the BICAMS-validated Arabic version battery involving the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test 2nd edition (CVLT-II) and revised Brief Visuospatial Retention Test (BVRT-R). Test–retest data were obtained from MS patients and controls 2 weeks following the primary evaluation. Mean variances between both groups were evaluated, controlling for age, gender, and educational level. MS patients scored significantly lower on the SDMT, CVLT-II, and BVMT-R tests than healthy controls (P-value