The convergent validity of a Dutch Screening tool for Dysphagia (Signaleringslijst Verslikken) for people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

Background Dysphagia is potentially life-threatening and highly prevalent in people with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (SPIMD). The "Signaleringslijst Verslikken" (SV) is a frequently used Dutch screening tool to detect dysphagia. The aim was to examine the convergent validity of the SV for people with SPIMD. Method Direct support staff completed the SV, with speech and language therapists scoring a validated tool, the Dysphagia Disorders Survey (DDS), for 41 persons with SPIMD, aged >= 50 years. The results were compared for agreement using the McNemar's Test. Results The proportion of agreement was 0.59 (95% CI 0.43-0.72). The SV did not detect dysphagia in 17 participants (44%) who were assessed as having dysphagia according to the DDS. The difference in proportion of detection of dysphagia between the two methods was significant (p <0.0001). Conclusions The results suggest that the convergent validity of the SV is insufficient: the SV is not sensitive for detecting dysphagia in people with SPIMD.