Measurement properties of the Short Child Occupational Profile (SCOPE)

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Short Child Occupational Profile (SCOPE; version 2.0). The SCOPE is an occupation focused, client-centered, theory driven assessment developed out of a practice/academic partnership. In this study, twenty practitioners from occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and social work completed thirty-five SCOPE assessments with clients' ages two years, four months to twenty-one years with both physical and intellectual disabilities. All therapists rated one common client. Rasch analysis using Facets was used to analyze the items. Results reveal that the SCOPE items coalesce to represent the construct of occupational participation in a valid manner and that most clients can be measured in a valid way by those items. Therapists used the SCOPE in a similar way and analysis demonstrated there was limited variability among therapists. The SCOPE discriminated between clients who had varying levels of occupational participation. The results indicate a need to do minor revisions to the assessment in order to maximize the psychometric properties and enhance clinicians' understanding of the items and rating scale terms.