The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale in Swedish Primary School: Cultural Adaptation and Content Validation.
Klara Wenneborg, Lise Pettersson Roll, Sven Bölte and 2 others
PMID 39292347WHAT IT FOUND
Experts judged the Swedish primary school version of the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale clear and relevant for assessing learning environments.
Panel members highlighted a strong need for such a tool, but rated practical use in schools as unrealistic due to the scale's length and resource demands.
Key findings
01Content panel members rated the scale's items and domains as having high content validity, with all single items exceeding the threshold for clarity and comprehensiveness.
02While experts agreed there is a significant need for this scale in Swedish schools, they rated its practical feasibility as low, citing time and resource constraints.
03The instrument was adapted for Swedish primary schools, but it has not yet been tested for reliability or other psychometric properties beyond content validity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only assessed content validity; reliability, construct validity, and other psychometric properties have not been tested. The scale was not back-translated, which may affect the accuracy of the Swedish translation. Panel members rated the scale's feasibility based on review only; they did not use it in a real school setting during the content validity phase, so their concerns about time and resources may not reflect actual usage. The sample of content panel members was small (n=14) and selected based on expertise, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to all Swedish school contexts. The study was conducted in Sweden, and the adaptation is specific to the Swedish educational system, limiting its immediate applicability to other countries.
Declared interests
Stockholm University funded the study. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The translation and adaptation were done in collaboration with the original authors of the APERS (National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this scale is ready for routine clinical or school use. It has only been tested for content validity by experts who reviewed it, not for reliability or practicality in actual school settings. Panel members rated its practical use as unrealistic due to time and resource demands, and other psychometric properties have not been assessed.
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