Developmental Stuttering Screening Instrument: development and content validation / Instrumento de Rastreio para a Gagueira do Desenvolvimento: elaboração e validação de conteúdo

ABSTRACT Purpose: to develop a screening instrument to identify the risk of developmental stuttering in preschoolers. Methods: the procedures were divided into two stages: The first one (theoretical), consisted of the literature review and the construction of the items that make up the instrument; the second stage (content validation), consisted of the analysis of the instrument by a judging committee formed by 10 speech-language-hearing therapists who work in the field of fluency. The data analysis was based on the calculation of the item content validity index (I-CVI) and the total number of answers (T-CVI). Also, an item reliability analysis was conducted with Cronbach's alpha. Results: the Developmental Stuttering Screening Instrument (DSSI) encompassed 24 items distributed into four key categories. The I-CVI and T-CVI revealed a high agreement between the judges. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients indicated a high internal consistency between the judges' answers in 19 of the 24 items. The qualitative analysis pointed to the need for new adjustments. All the analyses contributed to the construction of the second version of the instrument. Conclusion: the proposed instrument showed content-based validity evidence that made it possible, up to the present moment, to adjust it to its construct. It is suggested that the validation process continue, employing new accuracy measures.

RESUMO Objetivo: elaborar um instrumento de rastreio com fins de identificação do risco para gagueira do desenvolvimento em crianças pré-escolares. Métodos: os procedimentos foram divididos em duas etapas: A primeira etapa - teórica, consistiu na revisão da literatura e a construção dos itens que compõe o instrumento; A segunda etapa - validação de conteúdo, consistiu da análise do instrumento por um comitê de juízes composto por 10 fonoaudiólogas atuantes na área da Fluência. Para análise dos dados foi calculado o índice de validade de conteúdo por item (IVC-I) e pelo total de respostas (IVC-T), bem como realizada uma análise da confiabilidade dos itens por meio do alfa de Cronbach. Resultados: o Instrumento de Rastreio para a Gagueira do Desenvolvimento (IRGD) foi composto por 24 itens distribuídos em quatro categorias-chaves. Os índices IVC-I e IVC-T evidenciaram alta concordância entre os juízes. Os coeficientes do alfa de Cronbach indicaram alta consistência interna entre as respostas dos juízes em 19 dos 24 itens. A análise qualitativa destacou a necessidade de novos ajustes. Todas as análises possibilitaram a construção da segunda versão do instrumento. Conclusão: o instrumento proposto mostrou evidências de validade baseada no conteúdo que permitiram, até o momento, ajustá-lo em relação ao seu construto. Sugere-se a continuidade do processo de validação por meio do emprego de novas medidas de acurácia.

Developmental Stuttering Screening Instrument: evidence of sensitivity and accuracy measures

ABSTRACT Purpose: to verify the sensitivity and accuracy measures of the Developmental Stuttering Screening Instrument (DSSI). Methods: the DSSI was administered to 30 parents/guardians of children aged 2 to 5 years and 11 months with and without complaint of stuttering. The instrument administration was timed. The sensitivity analysis used the Weight of Evidence (WoE) binary classification model to verify the strength level of the items. The cutoff scores were established with grouping analysis with the k-means cluster method, based on the minimum and maximum values of each identified group's scores. The data were analyzed with the SPSS statistical software (version 20.0) and were considered significant with p ≤ 0.05. Results: the interviews lasted an overall mean of 17 minutes. The WoE model revealed that the items with the greatest predictive strength for risk of stuttering were the social reaction to their speech, the physical concomitants, and the comprehension of the child's speech. The correspondence analysis showed a strong association between "having complaints" and "high total score", as well as between "not having complaints" and "low total score", indicating that the parents' complaints are a factor that leads to high scores in the instrument. "Sex" had little predictive effect for risk. The grouping analysis enabled the stratification of subjects into three risk levels: "not at risk", "under observation", and "at risk". Conclusion: the instrument presented the first evidence of sensitivity and accuracy measures, thus, making the identification of risk of developmental stuttering in preschoolers, possible.