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Brief Report  |   March 2002
Classroom-Based Assessment: Validation for the School AMPS
Pat Fingerhut; Helen Madill; Johanna Darrah; Megan Hodge; Sharon Warren
Author Affiliations
  • Pat Fingerhut, MSc, OTR, is Occupational Therapist in Private Practice, Pediatric Therapy Center, 8323 Southwest Freeway, Suite 101, Houston, Texas 77074
  • Helen Madill, PhD, is Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Johanna Darrah, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Megan Hodge, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Speech and Language Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Sharon Warren, PhD, is Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Article Information
School-Based Practice / Departments / Brief Report
Brief Report   |   March 2002
Classroom-Based Assessment: Validation for the School AMPS
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 2002, Vol. 56, 210-213. doi:10.5014/ajot.56.2.210
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 2002, Vol. 56, 210-213. doi:10.5014/ajot.56.2.210
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Abstract

The role of the occupational therapist working in the school system is to facilitate a student’s task performance or ability to do purposeful and meaningful activities so that the student benefits from the educational experience. To fulfill this role, occupational therapists need assessments that address functional performance issues in the classroom and provide information for effective programming and consultation. The School Version of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (School AMPS) is an observational evaluation of functional skills in the classroom. Common classroom activities are observed to assess a child’s school motor and school process skills. This study examined the validity of the School AMPS by comparing it to the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale–Fine Motor (PDMS-FM), a common assessment used in local area school districts in Edmonton, Alberta. Results show a higher correlation of the PDMS-FM with the motor scale of the School AMPS than with the process scale of the School AMPS, which was expected. The School AMPS appears to be a promising instrument for measuring the constructs of school motor and school process skills within a naturalistic setting.