Screening for Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism Amongst Older Children and Young Adults: a Systematic Review of Tools for Use in Africa

Abstract

There are many well-developed screening tools for both intellectual disabilities and autism, but they may not be culturally appropriate for use within Africa. Our specific aims were to complete a systematic review to (1) describe and critically appraise short screening tools for the detection of intellectual disabilities and autism for older children and young adults, (2) consider the psychometric properties of these tools, and (3) judge the cultural appropriateness of these tools for use within Africa. Six screening tools for intellectual disabilities and twelve for autism were identified and appraised using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. We identified two screening tools which appeared appropriate for validation for use within African nations.

Using the consensus group method to select the best screening tools for autism and intellectual disability for use with Nigerian adolescents

“…Once the English version correctly reflected the Dutch version's content, structure, and language, the research team finalised the arrangement and utilised it with the Nominal Group. Both measures (SCIL and CAIDS‐Q) were designed for use with adolescents, have good psychometric properties, and have been used in various studies (Nwokolo et al, 2022). Also, given the age range (11–26 years) of the intended participants in the Nigerian validation study, both tools were deemed appropriate.…”

Validation of the social communication questionnaire amongst Nigerian adolescents

“…The SCQ is designed for anyone 4 years old and above, and it takes about 10–15 min to complete and about 5 min to score. Following a consensus group study prior to this study, minor adjustments were made to examples in the SCQ, to ensure that it was culturally relevant (see Nwokolo et al, 2023). The measure has two versions: the lifetime and the current versions.…”

“…Therefore, level two screening tools can be used to save time and cost, and such screening would help with the immediate identification of individuals at risk of ASD. In the African context, in countries, such as Nigeria, however, limited availability of age‐appropriate screening and validated screening tools, as well as low levels of awareness amongst parents and professionals, have been identified as barriers to assessment (Franz et al, 2017; Nwokolo, Langdon & Murphy, 2022).…”

“…A systematic review was conducted to identify available brief and cost‐efficient screening tools for use with Nigerian adolescents (Nwokolo et al, 2022), aiming to judge their cultural appropriateness and assess the psychometric properties of available tools. A total of 12 screening tools for ASD were identified through that review.…”

“…The SCQ was the lifetime version, and the AQ‐10 was the adolescent version. The group of experts examined the content and face validity of both tools for Nigeria (Nwokolo, Murphy, Mensink, Moonen & Langdon, 2023). The SCQ is a brief 40‐item parent, or caregiver screening measure used widely in research (Berument, Rutter, Lord, Pickles & Bailey, 1999).…”