Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA)

Full Name of Assessment:		COSA (Child Occupational Self Assessment)
Author, Publisher, Date:		Jessica Keller, Anna Kafkes, Semonti Basu, Jeanne Federico, and Gary Kielhofner; University of Illinois Chicago, 2005
Source:		University of Illinois Chicago	Pricing: $ 74.00
Brief description (purpose, domains, subscales, time to administer, space/equipment needs): Purpose:     The Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA) is a client directed assessment tool and an outcome measure designed to capture children's and youth's perceptions regarding their own sense of occupational competence and the importance of everyday activities. Using the instrument in therapy provides a young client with an opportunity to identify and address their participation in important and meaningful occupations.      The COSA consists of a series of statements pertaining to everyday occupational participation, and includes tasks related to school, home, and in the community. Its self-rating design allows the client to document his/her understanding of occupational competence and values using familiar visual symbols and simple language. There are two versions of the COSA:     •  A card sort version, and     •  A checklist form version.     The manual provides instructions on administration, interpretation, and modifications to ensure access for clients of all abilities. The manual also includes three case illustrations. Age Range:  8-13 Domains: Competency and Values Time to Administer:  without extensive modifications generally complete self-rating items in about 20 mintues.  Card sort time varies with client’s abilities and level of support required
Scoring: 2 likert scales (one for each domain:  “I have a big problem doing this” to “I am really good at doing this” AND “Not really important to me” to “Most important of all to me”); test-retest
Psychometric properties (describe briefly; e.g. reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity, etc): Reliability:  Correlation Coefficient = .85 The expansion to a four-point rating scale im- proved the reliability of the COSA and enhanced its sensitivity to detect differences in participants Validity: On the COSA’s Competence scale, all of the items fit the model and offered evidence of unidimensionality, which is an important indicator of construct validity,
Citations/References (source at least 2 articles that use the tool or reports on psychometrics): Keller, J., Kafkes, A., & Kielhofner, G. (2005).  Psychometric characteristics of the Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA), part one:  An initial examination of psychometric properties.  Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12, 118-127. Keller, J., & Kielhofner, G. (2005).  Psychometric characteristics of the Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA), part two: Refining the psychometric properties.  Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12, 147-158. Kramer, J.M., Kielhofner, G.,  & Smith E.V. Jr. (2010). Validity evidence for the Child Occupational Self Assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(4), 621-632.
Comments/critique (include application to practice – settings, needs, populations): Examines multiple performance areas that affect childhood occupations.  Additionally, due to the nature of it being a self-assessment, it promotes client-centered practice by allowing the child to part of the intervention process, as well as, promote childhood personal development.
Training or certification requirements:	none