Assessment of toileting difficulties in adults with intellectual disabilities: an examination using the profile of toileting issues (POTI).
The POTI gives BCBAs a fast, reliable way to screen toileting problems in adults with ID and target treatment.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a new checklist called the POTI. It lists common toileting problems in adults with intellectual disability.
Staff who know the adult fill out the form. The study checked if two staff would score the same adult the same way.
What they found
The POTI gave steady scores when the same staff filled it out twice. Two different staff also agreed on most items.
This means the tool is reliable enough to trust for screening.
How this fits with other research
Hove et al. (2008) did the same kind of check with a mood checklist. Both studies show that short caregiver forms can give solid data for adults with ID.
Lecavalier et al. (2006) warned that Likert-type scales fail with moderate to profound ID unless you add pictures and pretests. The POTI avoids this problem by using simple yes/no items and staff report instead of self-report.
Lippold et al. (2009) also found good reliability for a communication checklist. Together these papers build a set of ready-to-use screeners for different life skills.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, free tool to spot why toileting fails. Complete the POTI during intake, pick the top two problem areas, and write your toilet-training plan around those functions. No extra training is needed and it takes ten minutes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A lack of toileting skills is one of many impairments that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience. Unfortunately, little research has focused on problems in this area including assessment, function, and treatment. A newly developed checklist, the Profile of Toileting Issues (POTI), is being considered for use to screen for toileting issues in this population, and to identify potential functions to target in treatment. The purpose of the current study was to examine the reliability of the POTI. Internal consistency was sound (α = .83) and interrater reliability was significant. The implications of these findings are included.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.09.014