Measurement of Assistive Technology Outcomes Associated with Computer-Based Writing Interventions for Children and Youth with Disabilities

Young people who have chronic disabilities use computer technologies and receive rehabilitation services to overcome functional limitations associated with writing activities. However, the functional impact of these specialized assistive technologies on the everyday lives of children is not clearly understood; in part due to the lack of targeted outcome measures. This article describes the development and evaluation of the Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale for Writing Interventions (FIATS-WI). The FIATS-WI is a multi-dimensional, parent-report questionnaire designed to measure child functioning and outcomes associated with computer-based writing interventions for children and youth aged 5–18 years. Participants included parents of children with writing-related disabilities who completed the questionnaire at home during one of two study phases. In the first phase, 121 eligible parents, out of 364 invited, completed a single administration of the questionnaire. In the second phase, 28 out of 33 eligible parents completed the FIATS-WI twice to assess its stability. Item and subscale correlations informed an item reduction plan, and Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients provided acceptable estimates for internal consistency and test–retest reliability, respectively. Correlations between FIATS-WI scores and scores from a standardized home participation measure tested its convergent validity. The study provides emerging evidence for the FIATS-WI as a sound measure of computer-based writing technology outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.