Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults

Abstract Background Communicative participation is the most important outcome of speech and language therapy, but there are no measurement instruments for children, adolescents, and young adults. This paper describes the development of MyCommunication-Youth: an item bank to measure self-reported com...

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Main Authors: Eline Alons, Lizet van Ewijk, Margreet Roelien Luinge, Nicole ter Wal, Tonny Methorst, Ellen Gerrits, Caroline Barbara Terwee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-025-00913-1
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author Eline Alons
Lizet van Ewijk
Margreet Roelien Luinge
Nicole ter Wal
Tonny Methorst
Ellen Gerrits
Caroline Barbara Terwee
author_facet Eline Alons
Lizet van Ewijk
Margreet Roelien Luinge
Nicole ter Wal
Tonny Methorst
Ellen Gerrits
Caroline Barbara Terwee
author_sort Eline Alons
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Communicative participation is the most important outcome of speech and language therapy, but there are no measurement instruments for children, adolescents, and young adults. This paper describes the development of MyCommunication-Youth: an item bank to measure self-reported communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults with various communication disorders. Aims 1) To develop a comprehensive, comprehensible item bank for measuring communicative participation in children, adolescents, and young adults with communication problems. 2) To assess the content validity of the item bank in a sample of these groups. 3) To define criteria for the minimal age at which children with communication difficulties can self-report their communicative participation. Method Based on a literature review and two concept elicitation studies three initial versions of item pools were developed: one for children, one for adolescents and one for young adults. These pools were pilot tested, using cognitive debriefing interviews, on comprehensibility and comprehensiveness in a diverse group of participants with communication difficulties, whereafter a second version of the item pools were created. Hereafter, the content validity was assessed in the target population and in a group of speech and language therapists. Results Initially, three item pools were created for children (58 items), adolescents (78 items), and young adults (84 items). In the pilot test with 33 children adolescents and young adults with communication difficulties, items were revised for comprehensibility, some items were added for comprehensiveness, and some items were deleted because they appeared irrelevant, resulting in updated pools of 50, 69, and 72 items. In the content validity study, cognitive interviews with 27 participants and a focus group with 8 professionals identified additional revisions. Most items were comprehensible, but some were irrelevant for specific subpopulations of communication difficulties. Two new items were added after the input of professionals, whereafter the item bank was found comprehensive. Conclusions MyCommunication-Youth is an item bank for measuring communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults with various communication difficulties. Three versions of the instrument were created: MyCommunication-Children of 49 items, MyCommunication-Adolescents of 70 items and MyCommunication-YoungAdults of 73 items. The item bank is comprehensible, relevant and comprehensive according to the target population and target professionals.
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spelling doaj-art-836903554b684bb6a08c26bafa6b2e5f2025-08-20T03:05:29ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Patient-Reported Outcomes2509-80202025-07-019111410.1186/s41687-025-00913-1Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adultsEline Alons0Lizet van Ewijk1Margreet Roelien Luinge2Nicole ter Wal3Tonny Methorst4Ellen Gerrits5Caroline Barbara Terwee6Research Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied SciencesResearch Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied SciencesResearch Centre Healthy Ageing; Youth, Education and Society, Hanze University of Applied Sciences GroningenResearch Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied SciencesResearch Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied SciencesResearch Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied SciencesAmsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit, Epidemiology and Data ScienceAbstract Background Communicative participation is the most important outcome of speech and language therapy, but there are no measurement instruments for children, adolescents, and young adults. This paper describes the development of MyCommunication-Youth: an item bank to measure self-reported communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults with various communication disorders. Aims 1) To develop a comprehensive, comprehensible item bank for measuring communicative participation in children, adolescents, and young adults with communication problems. 2) To assess the content validity of the item bank in a sample of these groups. 3) To define criteria for the minimal age at which children with communication difficulties can self-report their communicative participation. Method Based on a literature review and two concept elicitation studies three initial versions of item pools were developed: one for children, one for adolescents and one for young adults. These pools were pilot tested, using cognitive debriefing interviews, on comprehensibility and comprehensiveness in a diverse group of participants with communication difficulties, whereafter a second version of the item pools were created. Hereafter, the content validity was assessed in the target population and in a group of speech and language therapists. Results Initially, three item pools were created for children (58 items), adolescents (78 items), and young adults (84 items). In the pilot test with 33 children adolescents and young adults with communication difficulties, items were revised for comprehensibility, some items were added for comprehensiveness, and some items were deleted because they appeared irrelevant, resulting in updated pools of 50, 69, and 72 items. In the content validity study, cognitive interviews with 27 participants and a focus group with 8 professionals identified additional revisions. Most items were comprehensible, but some were irrelevant for specific subpopulations of communication difficulties. Two new items were added after the input of professionals, whereafter the item bank was found comprehensive. Conclusions MyCommunication-Youth is an item bank for measuring communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults with various communication difficulties. Three versions of the instrument were created: MyCommunication-Children of 49 items, MyCommunication-Adolescents of 70 items and MyCommunication-YoungAdults of 73 items. The item bank is comprehensible, relevant and comprehensive according to the target population and target professionals.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-025-00913-1ChildrenAdolescentsYoung adultsParticipationOutcomeContent validity
spellingShingle Eline Alons
Lizet van Ewijk
Margreet Roelien Luinge
Nicole ter Wal
Tonny Methorst
Ellen Gerrits
Caroline Barbara Terwee
Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes
Children
Adolescents
Young adults
Participation
Outcome
Content validity
title Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
title_full Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
title_fullStr Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
title_full_unstemmed Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
title_short Development and validation of MyCommunication-Youth: A self-report measure for communicative participation in children, adolescents and young adults
title_sort development and validation of mycommunication youth a self report measure for communicative participation in children adolescents and young adults
topic Children
Adolescents
Young adults
Participation
Outcome
Content validity
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-025-00913-1
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