The Yoruba version of LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire: Evaluation of auditory development in children with normal hearing

J Otol. 2018 Sep;13(3):92-96. doi: 10.1016/j.joto.2018.07.001. Epub 2018 Jul 29.

Abstract

The goal of this study was to translate the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire into Yoruba language for use with Yoruba-speaking parents and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Yoruba version of questionnaire. Translation of the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire into Yoruba language was done using a back-translation method. The study participants included 423 parents of normal hearing children aged 6-24 months. Psychometric analyses (scale analysis and item analysis) of the translated questionnaire was done. The scale characteristics in the dataset are: Internal consistency: Cronbach's alpha = 0.907; reliability; Split-half = 0.701; predictive accuracy; Guttman's lambda = 0.583; correlation between total score and children's age = 0.783. The regression analysis showed that 75.3% of the variance in the total scores can be explained by age. The Yoruba version of the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire is a dependable and valid tool as evidenced by the results of psychometric analyses. The tool is useful for assessing auditory development in children between 6 and 24 months of age.

Keywords: Auditory development; Hearing loss; LittlEARS auditory questionnaire; Psychometric properties.