Developing an arabic questionnaire to assess sensory processing disorders among preschool Egyptian children.
A new Arabic parent questionnaire accurately identifies sensory processing differences in preschoolers with autism or ADHD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers made a new parent questionnaire in Arabic. It asks about sensory issues in preschool kids.
They tested 120 Egyptian children. Some had autism, some had ADHD, and some were typical.
Parents filled out the form. Then experts checked if the answers matched real diagnoses.
What they found
The Arabic form worked well. It correctly spotted kids with autism or ADHD.
Typical kids scored differently. The test was reliable when parents took it twice.
How this fits with other research
Pfeiffer et al. (2018) made a similar parent form called P-SEQ: Home Scales. Both studies show parents can give accurate sensory reports.
Rihtman et al. (2011) created the Little DCDQ for coordination issues. Like Nora's team, they proved preschool questionnaires can work across cultures.
Leung et al. (2013) validated a Chinese cognitive test. Together these papers show good tools can be adapted for any language while keeping their power.
Why it matters
If you serve Arabic-speaking families, you now have a valid tool to screen sensory issues in preschoolers. No more guessing or using English forms that parents struggle to understand. You can spot autism or ADHD sensory patterns early and start the right supports sooner.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a neurophysiologic disorder in which sensory input is poorly detected, modulated, interpreted and/or to which atypical responses occur. The objective of this study was to validate an Arabic questionnaire for identification of SPD among preschool Arabic-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A newly constructed Arabic questionnaire for assessment of SPD was completed by parents of 100 Egyptian Arabic-speaking children including 40 typically-developing children (control group), 30 children with ASD, and 30 children with ADHD in the age range 3-6 years RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Sensory processing differences were detected between typically-developing children and children with ASD and ADHD. Significant differences were found in auditory processing, visual processing, oral sensory processing, olfactory processing, total scores and emotional/social response. The current study revealed non-significant differences between ASD and ADHD children as regards auditory, visual, touch, oral sensory, olfactory and total processing scores. On the other hand, ASD children showed higher scores in proprioceptive processing and lower scores in emotional/social response than children with ADHD. The designed Arabic questionnaire is a valid and reliable assessment tool for identification of SPD in preschool Arabic-speaking children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104238