Spanish adaptation of the Rasch-Built Overall Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disability Scale (ROADS).

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Statistics

Background:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes progressive functional decline.
• The ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) is the traditional measure of disability.
• The Rasch-Built Overall Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disability Scale (ROADS) offers a more comprehensive assessment but lacked a Spanish translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate the ROADS scale into Spanish.
• To validate the psychometric properties of the Spanish ROADS scale.
• To establish a reliable and valid functional disability measure for Spanish-speaking people with ALS (pwALS).

Main Methods:

• Translation and cultural adaptation of the ROADS scale.
• Recruitment of 53 Spanish-speaking pwALS.
• Administration of the Spanish ROADS and ALSFRS-R.
• Statistical analysis of reliability (internal consistency, test-retest) and validity (correlation with ALSFRS-R).

Main Results:

• Excellent internal consistency reliability for the Spanish ROADS (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94).
• High test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.93).
• Strong significant correlation between Spanish ROADS and ALSFRS-R total scores (r_s = .89, p < .001).
• Significant correlations between specific subscales and items, supporting domain-to-item validity.

Conclusions:

• The Spanish ROADS is a psychometrically robust measure.
• It is a valid and reliable tool for quantifying functional disability in Spanish-speaking pwALS.
• This validated scale enhances the assessment of ALS progression in a diverse population.