Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME)

Measure Description	Source of measure	Caldwell, B., & Bradley, R. (1984). Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME)-revised edition. Little Rock, AR: University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
	Mode of administration	Combination of naturalistic observation and interview with the parent.
	Age range for use	Families with children from age 0-15. Multiple versions exist for different child age ranges: toddler (0-3), early childhood (3-6), middle childhood (6-10), and early adolescence (10-15).
	Domains Assessed	The HOME is a descriptive profile that leads to an assessment of a child's home environment. It measures the amount and quality of support and stimulation available to the child at home. Specific domains assessed vary based on the age group being assessed.
	Related Measures	Supplement to HOME for Impoverished Families (SHIF)
Burden	Training needed to administer	Extensive staff training, supervision, and double ratings required to properly administer this measure.
	Minutes to complete	60
	# of items	Varies based on age group version. Toddler HOME = 45 items, Early Childhood HOME = 55 items.
	Cost	Yes. $30-50 for manuals, $15-25 for 50 forms.
Adaptation for AIAN use	Adapted	No
	Developer allows adaptation?	Contact developer.
	Used with AIAN populations?	Yes
Psychometrics	Norm-referenced	No
	AIAN: Cronbach's alpha range	Mullany et al. (2012) report Cronbach's alpha = 0.74
	AIAN: Evidence of validity	Inter-rater agreement >90%; Test-retest reliability appears moderate to low (but challenging because age appropriateness of questions changes as child ages). Reported by Johns Hopkins University Center for American Indian Health
	Other populations: Cronbach's alpha range	Interrater reliability does not fall below .80, and typically agreement is 90%. Internal consistency of the total scores was as high as .80 and of the subscales ranges from low to strong (.30-.89). Test-retest reliability is moderate over 18 months. Split-half reliability for the total scale was .93 and for the subscales ranges from .53 to .83 (reviewed by Totsika & Sylva, 2004).
	Other populations: Evidence of validity	HOME scores, especially those obtained after 2 years, relate in expected ways to child cognitive development. The HOME also is moderately related to socio-economic status. Sensitivity and responsiveness, measured by the HOME, relates to child attachment security (reviewed by Totsika & Sylva, 2004).
Source	Developer	Bettye M. Caldwell & Robert H. Bradley.
Source	Link	To order materials, contact Lorriane Coulson, lrcoulson@ualr.edu, H.O.M.E Inventory LLC, Distribution Center or Robert H. Bradley, rbradle2@exchange.asu.edu.
Summary	Comments about sensitivity to change	The HOME demonstrates sensitivity to change. Experimental studies show improvements in the HOME among families who were in the intervention groups (Totsika & Sylva, 2004).
Summary	General remarks	There is also a Supplement to the HOME for Impoverished Famlies (SHIF) that contains 20 items that are specific to low-income homes. This should be used with the total HOME inventory, not separately. The HOME is widely used in home visiting studies; appropriateness and relevance of some items were questionable in our populations. Difficult to train local staff to rate objectively.

Table Updated October 17, 2017