Assessing Advanced Theory of Mind in Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism: The Spanish Version of the Stories of Everyday Life.

Congiu et al. (2016) translated the Stories of Everyday Life test into Spanish. The test checks if kids can read social cues that are not said out loud.

They gave the new Spanish SEL to the kids with high-functioning autism and 50 typical kids, . They also gave two older ToM tests to see if the new one lines up.

The team ran stats to see if the Spanish SEL gives steady scores and can tell the groups apart.

The Spanish SEL showed strong internal consistency (α = .84). Kids with autism scored lower than typical peers.

Using a cut-off score, the test correctly flagged 70 % of the autism group and 70 % of the typical group. That is fair, not perfect, accuracy.

Xia et al. (2020) also adapted an autism tool for another language. They found the Chinese MAS holds up well, just like the Spanish SEL did. Both papers show careful translation keeps the numbers steady.

Hongo et al. (2024) did the same job in Japan with the CAT-Q. Again, reliability stayed sound. Together these three studies say: translated autism measures can be trusted if you re-check the stats.

Rojahn et al. (2012) looked at autistic laughter and saw a social plus, while Sara et al. see a social minus. The gap is only skin-deep. One study tested natural laughs; the other tested story-based mind-reading. Different skills, different methods, no real clash.

If you assess Spanish-speaking youth, you can now add the Spanish SEL to your toolbox. It takes 15 minutes, needs no gear, and gives you a quick flag for advanced ToM gaps. Use the cut-off to start goals on perspective-taking, then track progress with the same form.