Development and validation of the Arabic children's strong communication scale: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Child Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Background:

• Lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate tools for assessing Arabic-speaking children's communication skills.
• Adaptation of the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) to create the Arabic Children's Strong Communication Scale (ACSCS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the ACSCS for assessing communication strengths in Arabic-speaking children.
• To establish the reliability and validity of the ACSCS in a diverse sample.

Main Methods:

• Development of 22 items targeting communication strengths based on language, social, and behavioral aspects.
• Validation using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Composite Analysis (CCA).
• Reliability testing via Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability; validity assessed through convergent and discriminant measures.

Main Results:

• EFA and CCA confirmed a clear structure for communication strengths.
• High internal consistency and reliability were demonstrated for the ACSCS.
• Established discriminant validity, indicating accurate measurement of distinct communication facets.

Conclusions:

• The ACSCS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing communication skills in Arabic-speaking children.
• The scale reflects communication strengths across multiple domains.
• The ACSCS offers a culturally sensitive tool for educational and clinical applications.