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Psychometric properties of the screening tool of feeding problems (STEP) in Turkish children with ASD
Bekir Fatih Meral1, Ahmet Fidan1
1Sakarya University, Faculty of Education, Special Education Department, 54300 Hendek, Sakarya, Turkey.
Insights
The Turkish version of the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP) effectively identifies feeding issues in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This validated tool offers reliable assessment for Turkish ASD populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Feeding problems are prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Accurate assessment tools are crucial for early intervention and support.
- The Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP) requires validation for specific populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP).
- To assess the reliability and validity of the STEP for Turkish children diagnosed with ASD.
- To establish STEP as a useful tool for identifying feeding difficulties in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Linguistic equivalence was established for the STEP scale.
- The STEP was administered to 360 mothers of children with ASD in Turkey.
- Psychometric analyses included item-total correlations, internal consistency, split-half reliability, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).
Main Results:
- The STEP demonstrated high internal consistency (α=0.81) and split-half reliability (Spearman's rho=0.69).
- Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated an acceptable goodness of fit (RMSEA=0.08, SRMR=0.08, GFI=0.85, AGFI=0.81, CFI=0.86).
- Criterion-related validity was achieved, with most items showing significant differences between upper and lower groups (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- The Turkish version of the STEP is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing feeding problems in children with ASD.
- The findings support the use of the STEP as a practical assessment tool for clinicians and researchers working with Turkish ASD populations.
- This validated tool can aid in the early identification and management of feeding difficulties in children with autism.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to determine the psychometric properties of the screening tool of feeding problems (STEP) in Turkish children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). After providing linguistic equivalence of the scale, STEP was applied to 360 mothers on behalf of their children with ASD in order to determine the associated feeding problems. The scale which has 5 sub-domains and 3 Likert-type questions originally consisted of 23 items. Item-total correlations of the scale were acceptable, with the exception of item 8 and the differences between the item averages of the upper 27% and the lower 27% groups were significant (p<0.001). The internal consistency coefficient (α=0.81) and the split-half reliability (Spearman's rho=0.69**) were high. The STEP achieved criterion-related validity. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (χ(2)/df=3.2, RMSEA=0.08, SRMR=0.08, GFI=0.85, AGFI=0.81, CFI=0.86) showed that the scale has an acceptable goodness of fit. This study suggests that the Turkish version of the STEP could be a useful assessment tool when it comes to measuring feeding problems in children with ASD.
