Exploring the Child Functioning Module in Multiple Surveys in Ghana and Niger

Area of Science:

• Child development
• Disability studies
• Public health surveys

Background:

• The Washington Group/UNICEF Child Functioning Module (CFM) is crucial for identifying child disability in large-scale surveys.
• Assessing disability stability and respondent consistency is vital for accurate data collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temporal stability and inter-respondent reliability of the CFM in school children.
• To analyze discrepancies in disability classification using different proxies (teachers, parents).

Main Methods:

• Four surveys and one mapping exercise conducted among primary school children in Ghana and Niger (2022-2023).
• Utilized CFM and additional variables on school achievement.
• Employed teachers and parents/households as proxies for disability assessment.
• Analyzed agreement using Cohen's Kappa and Prevalence-Adjusted and Bias-Adjusted Kappa (PABAK).

Main Results:

• Significant variation in disability classification was observed across time and between respondent groups.
• Assessment consistency between teachers and parents ranged from 60-70%, indicating 30-40% discrepancy.
• PABAK analysis demonstrated improved agreement compared to Cohen's Kappa.

Conclusions:

• CFM is valuable for identifying population-level disability patterns.
• Multiple respondents are recommended to enhance accuracy when using proxy reporting.
• Further research is needed to explore CFM's statistical properties and address assessment discrepancies in diverse contexts.