You are viewing the site in preview mode
Skip to main content
Tool (Author)
Purpose & intended user
Target population
Items – number & constructs
Reliability
Validity
Internal consistency
Inter-rater
Test-retest
Content
Construct
Early Feeding Skills (EFS) [27 , 28 ]
Assess oral feeding skills; Clinician-reported (Training available, but not required)
Preterm and term infants birth to 52 weeks post-menstrual age.
19 items on revised version; Respiratory Regulation, Oral-Motor Function, Swallowing Coordination, Engagement, Physiologic Stability
+
+
NR
*
+
Acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = .81) [28 ]. Inter-rater reliability reported as acceptable between trained clinicians.
* Item generation consistent with content validity, but not tested [27 ]. Construct validity with the Infant Drive Feeding Scale – Quality (r = −.18- - .73; p < .05) [28 ].
Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) [29 ]
Describe disorganized and dysfunctional sucking patterns; Clinician-reported (Training Required)
Preterm infants and those with complex medical conditions.
28 items; Jaw and tongue movement and function
+
+
+/−
NR
+/−
Internal consistency reliability acceptable [30 ]. Inter-rater reliability acceptable after scoring system change (k = .78–.9) [31 ]. Test-retest inconsistent (k = .33–.94 and r = .23–.57) [32 , 33 ].
Inconsistent evidence of construct validity with related constructs across studies [32 , 34 , 35 ].
+ = Acceptable reliability/ validity defined as Cronbach’s α > .7 [36 ], Cohen’s k > .6, ICC > .75, percent agreement > 80% [37 ], or correlation coefficient (r ) > .4 [38 ]; − = Unacceptable reliability/validity by these definitions; +/− = Mixed findings; * = Description of item generation is consistent with content validity, but no formal testing conducted; NR = Not Reported
