Adaptation and validation of the Indonesian version of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC-IND)

A valid and reliable assessment tool is essential for the accurate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which remains a critical need for health practitioners in Indonesia. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC-IND) for screening children with ASD compared to those without the disorder. A total of 82 Indonesian children, aged 14 to 72 months (M = 45.32 months, SD = 14.51), with a range of developmental diagnoses, were assessed using ADEC-IND. An independent clinician, blinded to the ADEC-IND results, provided a separate diagnosis for each child. Concurrent validity, measured using Cohen’s kappa to assess agreement between the ADEC-IND classification and the clinician’s diagnoses, was high (κ = 0.76). Additionally, fifty ADEC-IND assessments were video-recorded, and a second assessor, who reviewed the recordings, provided independent ratings. The inter-rater reliability of ADEC-IND was also high (r =.94, p <.001). Furthermore, ADEC-IND demonstrated strong sensitivity (0.93) and specificity (0.88) in this sample. Overall, ADEC-IND shows promise as a useful tool for supporting ASD diagnosis in Indonesia. However, several important cultural considerations, challenges, and limitations of the study warrant further discussion.