Cultural adaptation, validation and standardization of the developmental screening tools ASQ:SE-2 in Iranian children.
The Persian ASQ:SE-2 is ready for use with Iranian toddlers; it flagged almost one in four for social-emotional delays.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nuebling et al. (2024) translated the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional, Second Edition into Persian. They then tested it with 600 Iranian parents of children months. Parents filled out the 35-item form at home or in health clinics. The team ran numbers for reliability and set local cut-off scores.
What they found
The Persian ASQ:SE-2 showed good internal consistency. Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.66 to 0.79 across age bands. Using the new Iranian norms, 22.8 percent of toddlers were flagged for possible social-emotional delays. The tool now has Persian cut-offs you can use tomorrow.
How this fits with other research
Tse et al. (2021) did a similar job in Hong Kong. They adapted a teacher checklist for mainstream primary students with ASD. Both studies prove you can tweak social-emotion tools and keep them valid in new cultures and languages. Murphy et al. (2014) also support the idea. They validated a parent-teacher scale for emotion regulation in autistic youth. Together, these papers show one clear path: translate, test norms, then publish local cut-offs. No contradictions appear—just different ages and languages.
Why it matters
If you serve Iranian families, you no longer have to guess. Use the Persian ASQ:SE-2 with confidence. Hand it to parents in waiting rooms. Score with Iranian cut-offs. Early flags mean earlier ABA or parent training. That is a win for kids, families, and your data.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ) is a parental-report tool designed to assess the social-emotional development of young children. Its adaptation and validation in diverse cultural contexts are vital for its effective application. This study aimed to culturally adapt, validate, and standardize the ASQ for Iranian children. A cross-sectional study involving a random sample of Iranian children aged 1-66 months was conducted. Validity and cultural adaptation were assessed through expert panel evaluations, while nationwide sampling ensured reliability and validity. Statistical analyses included Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency and the determination of score ranges defining monitoring zones and cut-off points. Face and content validity, along with cultural relevance, were confirmed by 51 experts. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.655 to 0.789, indicating acceptable reliability across age groups. The prevalence of social-emotional developmental delays (scores above the cut-off) was 22.8 %, with 7 % of children falling within the monitoring zone. The highest rate of delays was in the 12-month age group (28.39 %), while the lowest was in the 2-month group (17.12 %). The culturally adapted Persian ASQ provides a valuable tool for assessing social-emotional development in Iranian children.
, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40926