Rigorous Translation and Cultural Adaptation of an Autism Screening Tool: First Years Inventory as a Case Study.
Michaela DuBay, Linda R Watson, Grace T Baranek and 5 others
PMID 33394249WHAT IT FOUND
Translating an autism screening tool for Latin American Spanish-speaking caregivers required major edits to 57 of 69 items.
Most problems surfaced during caregiver pre-testing, not back translation, because items about atypical behavior and response options were often misunderstood.
Key findings
01Of the 69 items in the English First Years Inventory, 57 required considerable edits or adaptations to achieve acceptable understanding among pre-testing participants.
02The adaptation process identified 128 distinct wording or phrasing challenges, and 81% of challenges were found during pre-testing rounds.
03Participants showed a positive response bias toward more frequent responses on items describing atypical behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study did not represent all Latin American Spanish dialects or cultures. Cognitive interviews were used, but the tool is intended for caregivers to complete on their own, so some problems may not appear in normal use. The paper reports translation and pre-testing challenges, not final diagnostic accuracy in a clinical sample.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is provided. Original instrument developers participated in the adaptation committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the adapted Spanish First Years Inventory has been shown to diagnose autism accurately in Latin American Spanish-speaking children. The paper reports translation and pre-testing problems and adaptations, not a completed diagnostic accuracy study.