Using ECHO program data to develop a brief measure of caregiver support and cognitive stimulation using the home observation for measurement of the environment‐infant/toddler (HOME‐IT)

Data from three NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program cohorts that collected the HOME‐Infant‐Toddler (HOME‐IT age 0–3 years) version were used to examine the reliability of a brief scale of caregiver support and cognitive stimulation. Participants with HOME‐IT data ( N = 2518) were included in this analysis. Mean child age at HOME‐IT assessment was 1.51 years, 48% of children were female, and 43% of children identified as Black. A four‐stage analysis plan was used to evaluate item response theory assumptions, item response theory model fit, monotonicity, scalability, item fit, and differential item functioning. Results indicate the feasibility of developing a reliable 10‐item scale (reliability >0.7) with particularly high precision for children with lower levels of cognitive stimulation.