Children and youth instrument development and testing articles published in the American journal of occupational therapy, 2009-2013: a content, methodology, and instrument design review

We extracted 35 articles published between January 2009 and September 2013 in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) that focused on children and youth instrument development and testing, summarized study details and traits of the 37 measures reported in them, and then critiqued the measures. Most of the articles contained Level III evidence (one-group nonrandomized and noncontrolled). The most common types of reliability reported in the articles were internal consistency, test/retest reliability, and interrater reliability; the most frequent types of validity reported were discriminant validity and construct validity. Most pediatric assessment tools were designed for school-age children between ages 5 and 12 yr. The two most common purposes for the assessments were reported as descriptive and discriminative. The continued publication of instruments that measure children and youth participation in meaningful occupations and life roles in home, school, and community environments is recommended.