Validation of Sensory Outcome Measure: Findings from the 2011 Survey of Pathway to Diagnosis and Services

• Published in: Journal of Korean Society of Occupational Therapy Vol. 27; no. 4; pp. 167 - 182
• Main Authors: Lee, Mi Jung, Ratcliff, Karen, Hilton, Claudia L., Hong, Ickpyo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한작업치료학회 31.12.2019
• Subjects: 작업치료학
• ISSN: 1226-0134; 2671-4450
• DOI: 10.14519/kjot.2019.27.4.13

Objective: To evaluate item-factor structures of the 15 sensory items from the Survey of Pathways to Diagnosisand Services (Pathways) and examine the best fitting model. Methods: The study subjects were 1,968 children aged 6-17 years, who had ever been diagnosed with AutismSpectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Intellectual Disability (ID). Factor analyses and item response theory modelswere used to determine the best fitting item-factor structure of the sensory items. The Strengths andDifficulties Questionnaires (SDQ) was used to test the concurrent validity of the sensory severity estimates. Results: A bifactor MIRT model (a general and four sensory factors) was selected as the best fitting model. Allitems statistically fitted to the bifactor model (p > .01) and showed moderate correlations with all five subscalesof the SDQ (rs = .31 ~.51, p < .0001). The general sensory score differentiated the four different diagnosticgroups (ASD, ID, ASD with ID, and no current symptoms) [F (3,1961) = 207.4, p < .0001]. Conclusion: The Pathways sensory items yielded reliable estimates of the general and each corresponding sensoryfactor by applying a bifactor MIRT model. The sensory score can be used as a valid sensory measure in thepopulation survey. KCI Citation Count: 0