Psychometric properties of the the Daily Living Skills Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a Daily Living Skills Scale and to examine its psychometric properties among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The initial version of the scale consisted of 45 items distributed across three main skill domains: feeding skills, personal skills, and domestic skills. The items were rated using a three-point Likert-type response format (Always/Sometimes/Rarely), and the scale was submitted to a panel of expert judges to verify content validity, with agreement percentages ranging between 80% and 100%. The scale was then administered to a sample of 100 children with ASD to determine its psychometric characteristics. Results of content validity revealed that item–total correlations ranged between 0.227 and 0.748 for feeding skills, between 0.274 and 0.709 for personal skills, and between 0.155 and 0.805 for domestic skills, with most correlations being statistically significant at the 0.01 level. Inter-correlations among the three domains ranged between 0.765 and 0.792, while correlations between each domain and the total score ranged between 0.906 and 0.937, indicating good internal consistency. Construct validity was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Findings showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices, and all factor loadings were statistically significant at the 0.01 level, supporting the underlying factor structure of the scale. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, Guttman’s λ2 and λ6, and McDonald’s omega coefficients. Reliability coefficients ranged between 0.767 and 0.826 for feeding skills, between 0.812 and 0.864 for personal skills, and between 0.861 and 0.911 for domestic skills, demonstrating good internal consistency. Following the validation procedures, several items were removed, resulting in a final version of the scale consisting of 40 items distributed across the three domains, with a total score ranging from 40 to 120. Higher scores indicate higher levels of daily living skills among children with ASD as perceived by their parents. Collectively, the findings provide evidence that the Daily Living Skills Scale possesses acceptable psychometric properties and is suitable for assessing daily living skills in this population.