Translation, adaptation, and validation of the Arabic version of the meaningful auditory integration scale

The main objectives of this study were to translate and adapt the infant-toddler meaningful integration scale (IT-MAIS) into Arabic and to establish the psychometric properties of the translated scale in children with a cochlear implant.

The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of this questionnaire were completed in multiple steps and following standard translation protocols. In total, twenty-eight parents of young cochlear implant recipients completed IT-MAIS. Data were collected postoperatively and at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month post-device activation. Data were examined for the validity and reliability of the scale. The internal consistency and reliability of the scale were analyzed using Cronbach α, split-half reliability, and the corrected item-total correlation coefficients.

Findings demonstrated that the scale exhibited good face and content validity, suggesting that the scale is a one-dimensional measure. Additionally, the reliability analysis for the scale indicated high reliability and correlation among test items. IT-MAIS scores consistently improved over time for all participants and this improvement. correlated negatively with the duration of deafness.

Current findings indicated that the translated Arabic version of the IT-MAIS scale could serve as a valid instrument for assessing the development of auditory skills in Arabic-speaking children with cochlear implants.