Psychometric properties of the AIR Self-Determination Scale: the Chinese version (AIR SDS-C) for Chinese people with intellectual disabilities.
The Chinese AIR SDS is ready for clinical use with adults who have mild or moderate intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team translated the AIR Self-Determination Scale into Chinese.
They gave the new AIR SDS-C to adults with mild or moderate intellectual disability.
Confirmatory factor analysis checked if the Chinese items still measured the same two skills: self-regulation and autonomy.
What they found
The Chinese scale kept the original two-factor shape.
Internal consistency was good; alpha = 0.88, omega = 0.90.
In plain words, the Chinese version reliably captures how much self-direction each adult shows.
How this fits with other research
Cox et al. (2015) did the same job with the Telugu ABC-C in India. Both studies kept the original factor structure after translation, showing the method works across languages.
Alnahdi et al. (2026) validated an Arabic self-determination scale, but they added teacher and family forms. Their multi-view approach extends what McIntyre et al. (2017) started; you could add parent ratings to the Chinese scale for richer data.
Sappok et al. (2017) tested the SCQ across three countries and found cut-scores must shift by gender and ID severity. That warns us to check if AIR SDS-C scores also differ by gender or level of ID before setting one-size-fits-all goals.
Why it matters
You now have a free, reliable tool to measure self-determination in Chinese-speaking adults with ID. Use it during intake to pick goals like choosing lunch, using a bus card, or speaking up at meetings. Track scores every six months to show families and funders that your program builds real-world independence.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The construct of self-determination has received considerable attention in the international field of intellectual disabilities (ID). Recently, there has been a rapid development of this construct in Chinese societies including Hong Kong. However, there is no locally validated instrument to measure self-determination in people with ID. This article explains the validation process of the AIR Self-Determination Scale - Chinese version (AIR SDS-C) adapted from the 24-item AIR Self-Determination Scale, developed by Wolman and his colleagues, which is used in school setting. METHODS: People with mild/moderate ID aged 15 years or above were recruited from special schools and social services units in different regions of Hong Kong. Factor analysis and reliability tests were conducted. RESULTS: Data for a total of 356 participants were used for the analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factorial construct, and Mplus 7.0 was used for the analysis. The factor structure proposed in the original English version was supported by the data, and all factor loadings were between 0.42 and 0.76. The whole scale achieved good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.88 and ω = 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The AIR SDS-C appears to be a valid and reliable scale. This study examined adult groups as well as student groups. The application of the scale can thus be extended to a wider population. The implications for theory building and practice are discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2017 · doi:10.1111/jir.12343