Autism questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese stigma and knowledge Questionnaire: preliminary study

Abstract

Introduction: Autism stigma and knowledge the original Questionnaire (ASK-Q) consists of 49 statements that measure 4 subscales, which involve specific knowledge about: diagnosis and symptomatology, etiology, treatment and stigma of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This instrument has proved to be useful as a form of scientific investigation to analyze the knowledge and stigma of ASD in broad populations. The current study aims to translate into Portuguese, culturally adapt and validate the ASK-Q questionnaire. Methodology:The study was divided into four stages: 1) Translation, comparison of the two versions translated into Brazilian Portuguese and back -translation into English; 2) Semantic equivalence analysis; 3) Pre -test of the preliminary questionnaire, in order to verify the agreement of the judges' answers; 4) Pilot study to demonstrate practical applicability of the translated questionnaire, as well as to assess the knowledge and stigma of the selected sample about ASD. Results: The consolidated version in Portuguese was evaluated by the Content Validation Index (CVI), which obtained a result above 0.80 in all items and a p-value greater than 0.05, being considered adequate, without the need for adjustments. The pilot study demonstrated adequate knowledge of kindergarten teachers about ASD. Conclusions: It is concluded that the Portuguese version of the ASK-Q, translated and culturally adapted, presented satisfactory validity for assessing the knowledge and stigma of education professionals, as well as easy application in early childhood education institutions. The validation of the questionnaire into Portuguese strengthens the scientific and clinical fields of research on ASD in Brazil.