This article describes a model for the evaluation of diagnostic tests used in occupational therapy. In this model, new diagnostic tests are compared to valid tests (“gold standard”), and their sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and agreement are calculated. The use of this method is illustrated with data from the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test and the Stille-Werner Rotation Chair.
AyresA.J. (1975). The Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
2.
BalohR. W.HonrubiaV. (1979). Clinical neurophysiology of the vestibular system. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
3.
ColtonT. (1974). Statistics in medicine. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
4.
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada (1983). Interpretation of diagnostic data: N. How to do it with a simple table. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 129, 559–564.
5.
KimballJ. G. (1981). Normative comparison of the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test: Los Angeles vs. Syracuse data. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 35, 21–25.
6.
MausnerJ. S.BahnA. K. (1974). Epidemiology. Toronto, Canada: W. B. Saunders.
7.
NunnallyJ. C. (1978). Psychometric evaluation. Toronto, Canada: F. A. Davis.
8.
OttenbacherK. (1978). Identifying vestibular processing dysfunction in learning disabled children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 32, 217–221.
9.
OttenbacherK. (1980). Excessive postrotary nystagmus duration in learning disabled children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 34, 40–44.
10.
PolatajkoH. J. (1982). Vestibular function and academic learning: A study of normal children and children identified as learning disabled. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Canada.
11.
PophamW. J. (1981). Modern educational measurement. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
12.
PunwarA. (1982). Expanded normative data: Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 36, 183–197.
13.
RoyeenC. D.LesinskiG.CianiS.SchneiderD. (1981). Relationship of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests, the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test and clinical observations accompanying them to evaluations in otolaryngology, ophthalmology and audiology: Two descriptive case studies. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 35, 443–450.
14.
SackettD. L.HaynesR. B.TugwellP. (1985). Clinical epidemiology: A basic science for clinical measurement. Toronto, Canada: Little, Brown & Co.
15.
ScardiniaV. (1981). From pegboards to integration. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 35, 581–588.