Early Feeding Skills (EFS) [27, 28]
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Assess oral feeding skills; Clinician-reported (Training available, but not required)
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Preterm and term infants birth to 52 weeks post-menstrual age.
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19 items on revised version; Respiratory Regulation, Oral-Motor Function, Swallowing Coordination, Engagement, Physiologic Stability
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+
|
+
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NR
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*
|
+
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Acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = .81) [28]. Inter-rater reliability reported as acceptable between trained clinicians.
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* Item generation consistent with content validity, but not tested [27]. Construct validity with the Infant Drive Feeding Scale – Quality (r = −.18- - .73; p < .05) [28].
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Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) [29]
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Describe disorganized and dysfunctional sucking patterns; Clinician-reported (Training Required)
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Preterm infants and those with complex medical conditions.
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28 items; Jaw and tongue movement and function
|
+
|
+
|
+/−
|
NR
|
+/−
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Internal consistency reliability acceptable [30]. Inter-rater reliability acceptable after scoring system change (k = .78–.9) [31]. Test-retest inconsistent (k = .33–.94 and r = .23–.57) [32, 33].
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Inconsistent evidence of construct validity with related constructs across studies [32, 34, 35].
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