The Turkish Short Version of the Sensory Experience Questionnaire: A Validity and Reliability Study in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish form of the Sensory Experience Questionnaire Short Version (SEQv2.1), which is based on parent or primary caregiver reports, consisting of three sensory response patterns (hyporeactivity, hyperreactivity, and sensory seeking) previously validated in different clinical groups and the general population, on young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

METHOD

The study participants consisted of 180 children with ASD and 65 typically developing children aged between 24 and 80 months. The children's sensory characteristics were measured using the SEQv2.1, which was filled out by their mothers. The study used the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) to examine concurrent criterion validity and confirm the children's ASD diagnosis. After the SEQv2.1 was translated, the questionnaire's validity was examined with construct and criterion validity, while its reliability was examined with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega internal consistency coefficient.

RESULTS

The analyses conducted to examine construct validity showed that the model fit indices for the questionnaire's three-factor structure were acceptable, but not all items had acceptable loading values. Furthermore, the sub-factors of the SEQv2.1 were moderately positively correlated with each other and highly positively correlated with the overall scale, and the mean scores of children with ASD and typically developing children from the sub-factors of the SEQv2.1 and the overall scale significantly differed from each other. The analyses performed for criterion validity demonstrated that the sub-factors of the SEQv2.1 and the overall scale were moderately positively correlated with the CARS. Finally, reliability analyses determined that the sub-factors of the SEQv2.1 were acceptable and the overall scale had a good level of internal consistency reliability.

CONCLUSION

The Turkish form of the SEQv2.1, which includes three sensory response patterns (hyporeactivity, hyperreactivity, and sensory seeking), is generally valid and reliable in determining the sensory characteristics of young children with ASD. However, since not all items have satisfactory loading values, it is thought that inferences regarding the Turkish version of the SEQv2.1 should be made more carefully. Furthermore, since this may be related to the participants' ages, it is recommended that future research be conducted with an older age group.