Measurement of perceived competence in Dutch children with mild intellectual disabilities.
BACKGROUND
Little research has been conducted on the perceived competence of children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). One of the reasons for the marked absence of research appears to be the lack of reliable and clearly valid measurement instruments for this particular group of children. In the present study, it was examined whether a pictorial scale originally designed to measure perceived competence in typically developing children could successfully be used with children with MID.


METHODS
The pictorial scale was administered to a group of 106 children with MID. The construct validity, reliability and stability of the scale were investigated.


RESULTS
The results of the exploratory factor analyses and the confirmatory factor analyses supported the conceptual framework proposed. The construct validity was also supported by the pattern of intercorrelations between the subscales. The scale had adequate internal consistency and the stability analyses showed sufficient stability across a 4-month period.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings show the psychometric properties of the pictorial scale to justify its use with children with MID.
Elias
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C
Department of General and Special Education, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. celias@fss.uu.nl
Vermeer
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A
't Hart
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H
D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D009426:Netherlands; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index