The Cultural Adaptation Checklist (CAC): quality indicators for cultural adaptation of intervention and practice

Abstract

Cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities, including autism, is an effective way to increase the effectiveness and sustainment of intervention effects. Such uptake of interventions is especially needed for communities of marginalized and minoritized populations. However, there have been very limited guidelines on how to ensure quality for cultural adaptation in autism. With this gap in mind, we present the Cultural Adaptation Checklist, which was developed in an iterative process with purposes to (a) guide research on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based intervention with diverse populations, and (b) systematically appraise the quality of cultural adaptation conducted in intervention literature. In this article, we describe the Checklist, development process, and how it may guide cultural adaptation in autism research.

Studies pertaining to language impairment in school-age autistic individuals underreport participant socio-demographics: A systematic review

“…how to develop a research project) and learning about best practices for autistic REM through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. To ensure evidence-based practices are appropriate for autistic REM, researchers can make use of existing resources like the Cultural Adaptation Checklist (Lee et al, n.d.) and look to prior examples of race- and dis/ability-conscious practices (Catrone et al, 2022).…”

“…Identify points of contact by attending community events, following networks, and engaging with autistic REM on their terms (see community engagement) Advance autistic REM as leaders in research Develop projects using participatory methods with autistic REM as team members in their roles of choice with accessible training on research Tailor research practices for autistic REM as part of a comprehensive plan Develop and implement specific recruitment, data collection, and engagement practices (e.g. consider both broad cultural norms and specific within-group heterogeneity) Teaching and mentorship Training environment Provide accessible training Make the hidden curriculum of research transparent by learning about and using best Scholarship of Teaching and Learning practices for autistic REM Leverage existing resources Consider existing resources, such as the Cultural Adaptation Checklist(Lee et al, 2023), and examples of how to integrate race and dis/ability-conscious practices into research Advance autistic REM as critical voices to learn from in academia and higher education Invite autistic REM to provide education (e.g. invited talks) to labs, classes, etc., in ways that align to their interests and goals Plan to meet with autistic REM and follow-up Suggest autistic REM as invited speakers or for leadership positions that align to their interests REM: racially and ethnically minoritized; DEI: diversity, equity, and inclusion.…”

Preliminary Outcomes and Adaptation of an NDBI for Spanish-Speaking Families

“…First, a more rigorous trial that uses an active comparison and that is also able to examine the impact of participation on observational measures of caregiver fidelity is important. Within future research, it will be critical to include stronger qualitative data from caregivers regarding their experience participating in NDBI, the use of more formal cultural adaptation checklists to document the thoroughness of cultural adaptations (Lee et al, 2023), and the impact of cultural adaptation on caregiver experiences (e.g., Soto et al, 2018). In addition, in the absence of bilingual clinicians, conducting research within outpatient settings often means that SS Latinx families are seen by monolingual English-speaking clinicians with the support of interpretation services.…”

Cultural adaptation of an intervention for caregivers of young autistic children: Community members' perspectives

“…An extensively used framework for cultural adaptation is the Ecological Validity Framework (EVF; Bernal et al, 1995), which includes eight dimensions to consider when developing or adapting culturally responsive interventions (i.e., language, persons, metaphors, content, concepts, goals, methods, and context). Based on the EVF (Bernal et al, 1995), Lee et al (2023) recently developed the cultural adaptation checklist (CAC). The CAC adapted and expanded the EVF by adding definitions and items within each dimension, merging some dimensions, and adding a new dimension (Lee et al, 2023).…”