Date Presented 4/19/2018
Real-life tasks express the complexity of human performance, and ecologically valid assessments are considered the preferred method for evaluating both everyday life and executive functions. Do–Eat is a performance-based assessment tool developed to achieve both goals.
Primary Author and Speaker: Naomi Josman
Contributing Authors: Carmit Frisch, Ayelet Goffer, Tsofia Deutsh-Castel, Sara Rosenblum
PURPOSE: Impairment in instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) performance is associated with executive function (EF) deficits in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, ecologically valid assessment tools to evaluate both IADLs and EF are rare. The purposes of this study were to demonstrate the advantages of Do–Eat, a performance-based assessment tool, and portray the unique performance profiles of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a typically developing (TD) control group.
METHOD: This correlational study aimed to reveal a performance profile for each of three groups of children: 30 with DCD (M age = 68.2 mo ± 5.19), 24 with ADHD (M age = 85.83 mo ± 8.14), and 88 TD children (M age = 89.51 mo ± 27.15). The children were asked to perform the three Do–Eat tasks: making a sandwich, preparing chocolate milk, and completing a certificate. Task performance was graded according to three outcome measures: performance level, sensorimotor skills, and EF. Descriptive statistics were gathered for the demographic and developmental characteristics of each group, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with age as a covariant was used to process the main hypothesis using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).
RESULTS: Significant performance differences between the three groups were obtained on the three tasks for all three outcome measures. The MANOVA revealed significant between-group performance differences, F(6, 50) = 18.69, p = .000, ES η2 = .29, with ADHD children having the best performance profile and DCD children the poorest.
CONCLUSION: This study identified the unique performance profile of each group and the importance of evaluating EF in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The advantages of using a performance-based assessment in the clinic and for research were highlighted.
IMPACT STATEMENT: This study reinforces the discriminant validity of the Do–Eat tool. Additionally, data from the study support use of performance-based assessments as an integral part of the evaluation process in the clinic. The Do–Eat is a powerful tool for research enhancing our science.
References
Josman, N., Goffer, A., & Rosenblum, S. (2010). Development and standardization of a Do–Eat activity of daily living performance test for children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 47–58. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.64.1.47
Rosenblum, S., Frisch, C., Deutsh-Castel, T., & Josman, N. (2014). Daily functioning profile of children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder: A pilot study using an ecological assessment. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 25, 402–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2014.940980
