Validation of the family needs assessment scale for Colombian families with children with intellectual disability

Abstract

Abstract This study documents the development and validation of the children’s version of the Family Needs Assessment (FNA) instrument for Colombia. The FNA is a scale that evaluates the needs of families with children with disabilities who are below the age of 18 years. To validate this scale, the research team identified the theoretical background regarding family members’ needs and performed a linguistic adaptation of the scale, which was reviewed to guarantee its validity through cognitive interviews and a pilot study. Results from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed 72 items distributed in a 4-factor solution. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for each factor and for the overall FNA scale were also estimated. Specifically, alpha computed from the correlation among the 72 items was 0.97 and ranged from 0.85 to 0.95 for the four factors. Findings from this study provided evidence to support the validity of the FNA for families with children with intellectual disability in Colombia. The findings also indicated that the FNA has the potential of contributing to a better understanding of inputs (e.g. needs of families with individuals with disability) with the aim of informing system decisions, enhancing policies, improving services and strengthening family-professional partnerships.