Evaluation of the Parent-Child Interaction Assessment Scale (EKIE) - Adapted for Parent-Child Dyads after Pediatric Cochlear Implantation - A Pilot Study

Differences in language acquisition of children with CI result, among other factors, from the quality of interaction of the child with its caregivers. Currently, however, there is no practical instrument for assessment this. The aim of the pilot study is to evaluate the authors' extension of the video-based Parent-Child Interaction Assessment Scale (EKIE) scale for the target group of children with CI. The extension includes assessment of parental behaviors and language opportunities to promote auditory speech and language development. The study investigates the validity and reliability of the adapted version (EKIE-hor) as well as its time economy. For this purpose, six videos of parent-child interactions were rated by nine staff members using EKIE-hor (5-point scale). The reliability of the ratings was determined using an intraclass correlation (ICC) based on average measures in a two-way mixed consistency model. The ICC yielded rater agreements in the good to excellent range for most variables. After several months of implementation of the EKIE-hor in everyday therapeutic practice, a survey of the therapeutic professionals on the implementation time was conducted, which showed that the interaction quality can be assessed in a time-efficient manner (median: 5-10 minutes) using the EKIE-hor.