## 4 Discussion and Conclusions
Thus, the mode of delivery of the subtest may be less a concern than the difficulty of the task itself across ages. Both possibilities will be examined in follow-up studies. Similarly, the narrative memory subtest showed mixed difficulty across ages. A post-hoc correlation study of performance by age groups receiving the exact same items revealed a persistent lack of association between age and performance, indicating a potential mis-estimation of item difficulty on our part, or operational difficulties of the subtest itself. These should be addressed in a further study in which all items are taken by all students, so that difficulty levels can be better estimated; this was not possible in our time-constrained pilot exercise. Third, the simulation study showed some proof of the concept that data collected with the programmed subtest on equivalence could be used to yield conceptually valid parameters for the accurate and efficient determination of an individual's ability using CAT. Simulations conducted for all of Alif-Ya's 21 potentially adaptive tests have shown largely similar results. More importantly, as more data are collected, item parameters based on cumulative data will become increasingly refined for more accurate performance of the CAT. In addition, while limited by the lack of diagnosed individuals at both ends of the ability spectrum in our sample and by the implemented missing data approach, the initial results reported here reflect the positive potential of our computerized assessment, Alif-Ya, to assess a broad range of cognitive processes accurately, efficiently, and easily with trained clinicians, in multiple clinical arrangements. Beyond the immediate and clear benefits of computerized administration, data collection and scoring, Alif-Ya presents several notable innovations prescient for the future of assessment. Regarding its ability to support the proper characterization and diagnosis of children, and monitor their development under intervention, Alif-Ya's 47 subtests can be composed and administered in a versatile array of combinations to support many clinical and other applied purposes. These include the characterization of autism spectrum disorder, learning difficulties, and thought disturbances in the domains of language, reading, and mathematics. This is in addition to the standard sets of subtests that contribute to full-scale, verbal and non-verbal IQ, and the various typically derived index scores for reasoning, executive control, and memory and their subcomponents. Alif-Ya additionally includes assessments of six components of social reasoning, and several assessments novel to the computerized environment, including approximate number system, number line estimation, and statistical learning. In conclusion, Alif-Ya's capability to accommodate multiple assessment configurations--in-person and remote, using a combination of hardwares and operating systems--extends our capability to work with children under new and emerging circumstances. As we have learned through the experiences of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, children with special learning and clinical needs should be able to maintain access to their clinical providers for assessment and treatment across distances and unexpected constraints. Clinical assessments originally designed with such versatility in evaluation and administration help us address new conditions with flexibility without compromising quality of care. Such assessments may be particularly valuable in countries where the testing industry is not well-developed and translated assessments might not be culturally suitable. Altogether, Alif-Ya allows the utilization of more fine-grained, accurate information to inform clinicians of children'sability levels in multiple dimensions and under diverse conditions. In these respects, Alif-Ya may be considered a pioneer in the computerized administration of assessments for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Conceptualization, E.G. and A.Q. ; methodology, E.G. and A.Q. ; structure of the assessment battery, L.H.