Participation Measures for Infants and Toddlers Aged Birth to 23 Months: A Systematic Review

• Published in: Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics 2021, Vol.41 (6), p.567-589
• Main Authors: Mobbs, Chelsea A., Spittle, Alicia J., Johnston, Leanne M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: assessments; Child, Preschool; Family; family of participation related constructs; Humans; Infant; infants; measures; Participation; Play and Playthings; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; toddlers
• ISSN: 0194-2638; 1541-3144
• DOI: 10.1080/01942638.2021.1900488

Participation is a key health outcome; however little is known specifically about how to measure participation of infants and toddlers. The aim of this review was to identify and examine the psychometric properties of participation measures for infants and toddlers aged birth to 23 months according to family of Participation-Related Constructs (fPRC). Four electronic databases were searched to identify (i) measures available in English, (ii) that quantify at least one participation concept of 'attendance' and/or 'involvement' according to the fPRC, (iii) with psychometric data for infants or toddlers aged from birth to 23 months published in a full text, peer reviewed journal. Psychometric quality was examined using the COSMIN checklist. Four measures met the inclusion criteria: Child Engagement in Daily Life (CEDL) measure, Daily Activities of Infants Scale (DAIS), Test of Playfulness (ToP), and Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM). All measured 'attendance' and three also measured 'involvement'. Measures showed unknown to moderate validity and unknown to moderate reliability, with the CEDL reporting the strongest psychometric properties. There are few measures that evaluate infant and toddler participation. Further research is needed to develop psychometrically sound participation measures that evaluate 'attendance' and 'involvement' for this population.