Rasch analysis of the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration in children with intellectual disabilities.

The team ran a Rasch analysis on the full Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. They wanted a short form that still worked for kids with intellectual disability.

Rasch math trims items that do not fit the skill ladder. The final set kept only nine drawings.

The nine-item VMI-9 stayed reliable at 0.91. It also split mild ID from moderate-severe ID better than the full test.

Less time, clearer groups. That means faster screening with sharper results.

Maïano et al. (2011) did the same shrink-and-check trick. They used confirmatory factor analysis to cut the Physical Self-Inventory to six items for teens and adults with ID. Both studies give you ultra-short tools that still hold up across ability levels.

Haynes et al. (2013) also rebuilt a scale for kids with ID. They dropped the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire from five factors to three. Like Yee-Pay, they proved a leaner form can be more accurate for this population.

Gandhi et al. (2022) looked at the Functional Movement Screen in adults with ID. They found decent reliability but warned scores drop as severity rises. Yee-Pay’s VMI-9 avoids that pitfall; it actually separates severity levels better than the long form.

You now have a nine-item screener that takes minutes, not half an hour. Use it during intake to flag visual-motor delays in kids with ID. If the score is low, refer for full OT or start fine-motor goals right away. The strong reliability means you can trust small score changes when you re-test after intervention.