Translation and Usability of Autism Screening and Diagnostic Tools for Autism Spectrum Conditions in I ndia

There is a critical need for screening and diagnostic tools ( SDT ) for autism spectrum conditions ( ASC ) in regional languages in South Asia. To address this, we translated four widely used SDT ( S ocial C ommunication D isorder C hecklist, A utism S pectrum Q uotient, S ocial C ommunication Q uestionnaire, and A utism D iagnostic O bservation S chedule) into B engali and H indi, two main regional languages (∼ 360 million speakers), and tested their usability in children with and without ASC . We found a significant difference in scores between children with ASC (n = 45 in B engali, n = 40 in H indi) and typically developing children (n = 43 in B engali, n = 42 in H indi) on all SDT s. These results demonstrate that these SDT s are usable in S outh A sia, and constitute an important resource for epidemiology research and clinical diagnosis in the region. Autism Res 2014, 7: 598–607. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.