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Cultural Adaptation and Translation of Outreach Materials on Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

In order to connect with families and influence treatment trajectories, outreach materials should address cultural perceptions of the condition, its causes, and post-diagnostic care. This paper describes the cultural adaptation and translation of the Autism Speaks First 100 Days Kit into Korean for the purpose of improving autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, assessment, and interventions. The goal of this study is to describe a methodology for future cross-cultural adaptations and translations of outreach materials on ASD, using the Autism Speaks First 100 Days Kit as an exemplar. The research involved two stages of qualitative interviews: unstructured individual and group interviews with 19 Korean child health and education professionals in Queens, NY, followed by structured cultural consensus modeling interviews with 23 Korean mothers, with and without children with ASD, in Queens, NY and the greater Washington, DC area. We conclude that a systematic approach to cultural translation of outreach materials is feasible. Cultural consensus modeling yielded information about numerous barriers to care, had a demonstrable effect on the translation of the kit, and was efficient when employed with coherent segments of a relatively homogeneous population and focused on a single condition.

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Acknowledgments

The research was funded by the Autism Speaks Foundation. The authors thank Joyce Chung, Amy Daniels, and Andy Shih for their insights and contributions to the paper, and the overall project. We extend special gratitude to the many parents and professionals we interviewed in New York City and Washington, DC for their time and generosity. All errors and oversights are the responsibility of the authors. Dr. Beidas was supported by the following grants from NIMH while preparing this manuscript (K23 MH099179).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Roy R. Grinker & Chloe Ahmann

  2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Christina D. Kang-Yi, Rinad S. Beidas & David S. Mandell

  3. Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Adrienne Lagman

Authors
  1. Roy R. Grinker
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  2. Christina D. Kang-Yi
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  3. Chloe Ahmann
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  4. Rinad S. Beidas
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  5. Adrienne Lagman
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  6. David S. Mandell
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Correspondence to Roy R. Grinker.

Additional information

Previous communication with Dr. Volkmar about two reviewers unlikely to offer unbiased evaluations.

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Grinker, R.R., Kang-Yi, C.D., Ahmann, C. et al. Cultural Adaptation and Translation of Outreach Materials on Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2329–2336 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2397-6

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