Translation and adaptation of functional auditory performance indicators (FAPI)

Abstract

Work with deaf children has gained new attention since the expectation and goal of therapy has expanded to language development and subsequent language learning. Many clinical tests were developed for evaluation of speech sound perception in young children in response to the need for accurate assessment of hearing skills that developed from the use of individual hearing aids or cochlear implants. These tests also allow the evaluation of the rehabilitation program. However, few of these tests are available in Portuguese. Evaluation with the Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI) generates a child's functional auditory skills profile, which lists auditory skills in an integrated and hierarchical order. It has seven hierarchical categories, including sound awareness, meaningful sound, auditory feedback, sound source localizing, auditory discrimination, short-term auditory memory, and linguistic auditory processing. FAPI evaluation allows the therapist to map the child's hearing profile performance, determine the target for increasing the hearing abilities, and develop an effective therapeutic plan.ObjectiveSince the FAPI is an American test, the inventory was adapted for application in the Brazilian population. Material and MethodsThe translation was done following the steps of translation and back translation, and reproducibility was evaluated. Four translated versions (two originals and two back-translated) were compared, and revisions were done to ensure language adaptation and grammatical and idiomatic equivalence. ResultsThe inventory was duly translated and adapted. ConclusionFurther studies about the application of the translated FAPI are necessary to make the test practicable in Brazilian clinical use.

Determination of Benefits of Cochlear Implantation in Children with Auditory Neuropathy

“…The hierarchic assessment used in the present study was designed to be an open frame that can integrate different subjective or objective methods. This method is similar to those of the Functional Auditory Performance Indicators [ 49 ] and Functional Communication Measures [ 50 ]. The Functional Auditory Performance Indicators can generate a functional profile of a child’s auditory skills after administering all seven hierarchic categories.…”

Sistema de frequência modulada em crianças com deficiência auditiva: avaliação de resultados

“…Several clinical tests have been elaborated to assess speech perception in young children, due to the need to study which hearing skills the child develops with the use of auxiliary hearing devices. However, few of those tests are available in Portuguese, especially for assessment in noise (19)(20)(21) . HINT Brazil (9) was used in this study because none of the children had previously been assessed by this instrument and for being hard enough to avoid the 'ceiling effect'.…”

Adaptação do protocolo Indicadores de Performance Funcional Auditiva Brasileiro - Versão Reduzida

“…In addition, the use of complete and standardized assessments of auditory progress in this population allows monitoring the therapeutic evolution, comparing between groups, reassessing the hearing (re)habilitation program, performing a multicentric comparison, and signaling to professionals and to families when there is some deviation in their progress, which makes it possible to improve skills that are expected for the child's age and schooling (9)(10)(11) .…”

“…The Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI) inventory was developed in the United States of America, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends its use as an instrument to assess hard of hearing children. In view of the scarcity of protocols translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese that assess all auditory skills in a same instrument, the FAPI, in its original version, was translated and adapted, giving rise to the Brazilian Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (Brazilian FAPI) (9) , which was shortened and validated, and resulted in the short version presented here (Annex 1).…”