Use of a Modified Canadian Occupational Performance Measure for Assistive Technology Outcomes in Postsecondary Education

ABSTRACT

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) has been used to assess the effectiveness of assistive technology (AT). We explored whether a modified COPM was sensitive to change in perceived performance and satisfaction, and whether frequency of AT use resulted in greater change in the domains measured (reading, writing, note-taking, test-taking, and study skills). Significant interactions were found between time and use frequency with greater change in perceived performance in the daily-use group in several domains. In addition, the intra-class correlation showed moderate to strong equivalent forms reliability between two assessment formats. Based on these preliminary results, the ATRC-mCOPM was found to be a sensitive measure of perceived performance and satisfaction utilizing AT services in a postsecondary education setting.

KEYWORDS:

• mCOPM
• assistive technology
• post-secondary education
• outcome measure
• assessment

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

About the Authors

Ashley Pinkelman, MS, OTR/L, is a practicing occupational therapist and at the time of manuscript submission was a graduate student in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University where she held a graduate assistantship in the Assistive Technology Resoursce Center; Marla Roll, MS, OTR/L, Director of the Assistive Technology Resource Center and Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; David Greene, PhD, OTR/L, Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA