Development and Content Validation of the Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale (ChOMPS)

This article describes the development and content validation of the Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale (ChOMPS), a parent-report assessment of eating, drinking, and related skills in children 6 months to 7 years of age. Initially, 69 items for the ChOMPS were generated from literature review. Nineteen professionals evaluated the ChOMPS using content validity indices (CVI). Significant revisions were made to items and directions based on professional feedback. CVI were acceptable for both the relevance and clarity of items. Cognitive interviews were then conducted with 19 parents to explore parent understanding of items. Additional revisions were made based on parent feedback. The reading grade level of the resulting ChOMPS was less than sixth grade. The 70-item ChOMPS has evidence of content validity, indicating the items are relevant and clear to professionals, and parents understand the directions and items as intended.