Convergent Validity for the Music in Everyday Life Assessment Tool.

Abstract

More assessments in the area of music therapy and autism are needed to determine whether a change in the use of music in everyday life has occurred and demonstrate psychometric validity. This study explores the convergent validity of the Music in Everyday Life (MEL) assessment by considering the relationships between the scores of the 2 MEL subscales (Joint Activities using Music [MEL-JAM] and Routine Activities using Music [MEL-RAM]), the scores of the 5 subscales of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the 5 subscales of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Data from 106 participants across four countries were analyzed using the Spearman Rank Correlation inferential test. The MEL subscales and ADOS scores were positively correlated, ranging from low to moderate. However, these correlations may need to be more clinically meaningful, given the heterogeneity between the assessment tools. No correlations were found for the MEL subscales and the SRS. Future studies should consider whether diagnostic assessments that measure symptom severity are relevant in establishing the validity of music therapy assessments. Conducting other forms of validity for the MEL assessment is warranted, such as factor analysis.