Reliability and Validity of the Translated Gujarati Version of Short Sensory Profile (SSP) for Children having Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, along with distinct restricted and repetitive behaviours. Short Sensory Profile (SSP) is one of the most commonly used tools for assessing sensory characteristics in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While parents typically complete Short Sensory Profile (SSP), the increasing number of working parents has led to grandparents and caregivers often taking on this responsibility. Since this scale is not available in Gujarati, there is a need to develop one that can be used by Gujarati-speaking individuals. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted in Ahmedabad, where a scale was translated into Gujarati using a double forward and backward translation method. Experts reviewed each question, categorizing them as accepted, rejected, or accepted with modifications. A harmonized version of the scale was developed. The study included a sample of 12 participants of both genders diagnosed with ASD. The scale underwent assessments for face and content validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Result: In the validation process of Gujarati version of SSP, 7 sections and a total of 38 questions existed. The Gujarati version of the SSP has high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.807) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient=0.807, 95%. The content validity was assessed, providing data that included S-CVI/AVE and S-CVI/UA values of 0.99 and 0.86, respectively. Conclusion: The translation of SSP into a Gujarati version was successful in preserving the semantic and measurement properties of the original version and was valid and reliable scale for the Gujarati population. Key words: Translation, Short Sensory Profile, Validity, Autism