Putting brain injury on the radar: exploratory reliability and validity analyses of the Screening Tool for Identification of Acquired Brain Injury in School-Aged Children.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored the reliability and validity of the Screening Tool for the Identification of Acquired Brain Injury in School-Aged Children (STI).


METHODS
Parents and teachers of students (K-12) from 3 different groups (students with known acquired brain injuries, students with special education needs, and typical students) rated their students' behaviors, symptoms, and injuries using the STI.


RESULTS
Test-retest and internal consistency analyses indicated acceptable reliability. Additionally, the 3 activities used to determine test validity all yielded positive results.


CONCLUSIONS
The STI indicates sensitivity to learning challenges; however, further research is needed to develop instrument specificity. We also introduce the idea of using tools, such as the STI for the purpose of an "educational identification" for students who are in need of immediate support, and for whom no formal medical diagnosis yet exists.
Dettmer
Judy L
JL
Occupational Therapy Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.
Daunhauer
Lisa
L
Detmar-Hanna
Donna
D
Sample
Pat L
PL
D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D004519:Education, Special; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D010290:Parents; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires