Translation and content validity of the Arabic Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP) Infant-Toddler Checklist.

OBJECTIVE: The Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist (CSBS DP ITC) is a screening tool designed to identify early deficits in social communication, expressive speech/language and symbolic functioning in children aged 6-24 months. This study aimed to translate and content validate the CSBS DP ITC into Modern Standard Arabic. DESIGN: Methodological study involving translation and content validation. SETTING: The study was conducted in the United Arab Emirates. PARTICIPANTS: The translation process involved five bilingual translators and one monolingual Arabic language expert. Ten experts participated in the content validation phase, and 10 parents of young children participated in the face validity assessment. OUTCOME MEASURES: Content Validity Indices (CVIs), including the Item-level CVI (I-CVI), the Scale-level CVI by Average (S-CVI/Ave) and the S-CVI by Universal Agreement (S-CVI/UA), along with modified kappa statistics, were calculated to assess item-level and scale-level clarity, relevance and comprehensiveness. RESULTS: Expert panel ratings showed high clarity (I-CVI: 0.8-1, S-CVI/Ave: 0.98, S-CVI/UA: 0.88) and similar relevance scores. Face validity assessments yielded clarity I-CVI scores of 0.9-1, with S-CVI/Ave at 0.98 and S-CVI/UA at 0.8. The modified kappa statistic ranged from 0.89 to 1, indicating strong agreement among parents. CONCLUSIONS: The CSBS DP ITC was effectively translated and content validated into Modern Standard Arabic. The calculated CVI values ranged from excellent to acceptable. This step establishes a foundation before proceeding to full psychometric testing of the instrument, paving the way for a reliable and culturally appropriate tool to identify early communication delays for use across the Arab-speaking population.