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Validation of the Observer-Reported Communication Ability (ORCA) measure for individuals with Rett syndrome
Bryce B Reeve1, Nicole Lucas2, Dandan Chen2
1Center for Health Measurement, Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
Purpose:
The study goal was to validate the Observer-Reported Communication Ability (ORCA) measure for use with females with Rett Syndrome (RTT).
Methods:
Qualitative interviews, including concept elicitation and cognitive interviewing methods, were conducted with 19 caregivers of individuals with RTT ages 2 and older. A quantitative study was then conducted in 279 caregivers to evaluate construct validity and reliability.
Results:
After minor modifications were made, the modified ORCA measure was well understood and captured key communication concepts. Quantitative data showed evidence for reliable scores (α = 0.90, test-retest intraclass correlation = 0.88), minimal floor and no ceiling effects, and strong correlation with the Communication and Symbolic Behaviors Scale (r = 0.73).
Conclusions:
This study provided initial support that the modified ORCA measure is an acceptable caregiver-reported measure of communication ability for females with RTT. Future work should include evaluation of longitudinal validity of the measure and its associations with clinician- and performance-based measures in diverse samples.
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