It is very interesting to learn about the reliability testing of various
assessment tools, but I have not found any evidence of their validity- not
is the test repeatable by various observers, but does it measure what it is
trying to measure? Will it identify problems when they exist? In my
experience, a bad assessment score on any of the models is usually a good
indicator of problems, but a good score does not necessarily mean
everything is OK. I have watched slow weight gain babies feed, heard good
swallowing, felt they had a great feed and done a pre and post weight to
find that they only took 1/4 of an ounce. They had long rhythmic sucking,
but no intake. I haven't met many professionals who haven't been fooled at
one time or another. I can't begin to count the number of calls I have
received recently from mothers who say they are sure their babies are
latched on properly because they passed the LATCH test at the hospital.
Guess what, corrected latch has helped most!  I think these are useful
tools for looking more closely at mothers and babies and breastfeeding, but
I do not think they are valid for drawing conclusions. I would love to see
some evidence to the contrary. Cathy Liles

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