Amy K Connery1,2, Alison M Colbert1,2, Molly M Lamb3, Sara Hernández4, María Alejandra Martínez4, Desirée Bauer4, Paola Arroyave4, Hana M El Sahly5, Alejandra Paniagua-Avila4, Mirella Calvimontes4, Guillermo Antoñio Bolaños4, Daniel Olson1,3,6, Edwin J Asturias1,3,6, Flor M Munoz5,7. 1. Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado. 2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado. 3. Center for Global Health and Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado. 4. Center for Human Development, Fundación para la Salud Integral de los Guatemaltecos, Retalhuleu, Guatemala. 5. Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado. 7. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children in low- and lower middle income countries (LMICs) often have poorer language skills compared with children from high-income countries. Limited availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment measures in LMICs, especially for young children, can hinder early identification and prevention efforts. Here, we describe receptive language (RL) skills among young children in rural Guatemala and report on the validity of a translated and culturally adapted developmental measure of RL. METHODS: Children (n = 157; m = 53.6 months, range = 42-68 months) enrolled in a prospective cohort study of postnatally acquired Zika virus infection were administered the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody (TVIP) and the RL scale from a translated and adapted version of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Performance on the TVIP was compared with the Latin American normative sample. Correlational analysis examined the relationship between performance on the TVIP and the MSEL-RL. RESULTS: Mean scores were significantly below the normative sample mean on the TVIP, t(126) = -11.04, p < .001; d = 1.00. Performance on the TVIP among children who passed the practice items (n = 127) was significantly positively associated with performance on the MSEL-RL (r = .50, p < .001), but not significantly associated with age or gender. Older age (p < .0001) and female gender (p = .018) were associated with passing the TVIP practice items. CONCLUSIONS: Delays in RL vocabulary were identified among young children in rural Guatemala on the TVIP. The association between scores on the TVIP and the RL scale of the MSEL provides preliminary support for the construct validity of this translated and adapted version of the MSEL.
BACKGROUND:Children in low- and lower middle income countries (LMICs) often have poorer language skills compared with children from high-income countries. Limited availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment measures in LMICs, especially for young children, can hinder early identification and prevention efforts. Here, we describe receptive language (RL) skills among young children in rural Guatemala and report on the validity of a translated and culturally adapted developmental measure of RL. METHODS:Children (n = 157; m = 53.6 months, range = 42-68 months) enrolled in a prospective cohort study of postnatally acquired Zika virus infection were administered the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody (TVIP) and the RL scale from a translated and adapted version of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Performance on the TVIP was compared with the Latin American normative sample. Correlational analysis examined the relationship between performance on the TVIP and the MSEL-RL. RESULTS: Mean scores were significantly below the normative sample mean on the TVIP, t(126) = -11.04, p < .001; d = 1.00. Performance on the TVIP among children who passed the practice items (n = 127) was significantly positively associated with performance on the MSEL-RL (r = .50, p < .001), but not significantly associated with age or gender. Older age (p < .0001) and female gender (p = .018) were associated with passing the TVIP practice items. CONCLUSIONS: Delays in RL vocabulary were identified among young children in rural Guatemala on the TVIP. The association between scores on the TVIP and the RL scale of the MSEL provides preliminary support for the construct validity of this translated and adapted version of the MSEL.
Authors: Elena Marbán-Castro; Laia J Vazquez Guillamet; Percy Efrain Pantoja; Aina Casellas; Lauren Maxwell; Sarah B Mulkey; Clara Menéndez; Azucena Bardají Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-06-14 Impact factor: 4.614