Content Validity Evidence for the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program.
Kristen L Padilla, Jessica S Akers
PMID 33447987WHAT IT FOUND
Experts found the VB-MAPP items relevant but often poorly matched to the child's age.
Do not rely on it alone for placement decisions. Supplement with other assessments, especially for play, social skills, and echoic abilities.
Key findings
01Most items were rated as essential, but many domains lacked strong evidence that the items adequately represented the skill or matched the child's developmental age.
02Experts recommended using the VB-MAPP alongside other assessment sources, such as caregiver interviews and additional tests, because the tool alone may not fully reflect a child's actual skill repertoire.
03For the Early Echoic Skills Assessment, experts noted the content might be outside their expertise and suggested consulting a speech-language pathologist for more accurate inferences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on only thirteen experts, so individual opinions had a large impact on the results. The experts were predominantly female and White, which may limit how well the ratings reflect diverse perspectives. The experts did not have access to the full VB-MAPP Guide during the review, which might have influenced their ratings of the items. This study only looked at content validity. It did not test whether the VB-MAPP actually predicts real-world outcomes or how consistent scores are between different examiners.
Declared interests
The text does not report any funding sources or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the moderate-to-strong relevance ratings as proof that the VB-MAPP is accurate or reliable for all children. The study found significant gaps in age appropriateness and domain representation, so using the tool without supplementing it with other assessments may lead to incomplete treatment plans.