A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a measurement instrument that tries to measure a characteristic or attitude that is believed to range across a continuum of values and cannot easily be directly measured. It is often used in epidemiologic and clinical research to measure the intensity or frequency of a subjective experience such as experience of “engagement” in an IEP process.
VAS is more sensitive to small changes than are simple descriptive ordinal scales in which perceptions are rated.
These scales are of most value when looking at change within individuals over time as an early indicator of potential breakdown in IEP engagement and communication.
The VAS takes < 1 minute to complete
No training is required to administer
Minimal translation difficulties allows for scales to be adapted to diverse cultural/linguistic groups
