PTA scale for children aged 4 to 7 years: Selecting developmentally valid and reliable items

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Argentine Children's Orientation and Amnesia Test

The Children's Orientation and Amnesia Test (COAT) is a widely used tool for assessing post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) in children, yet no validated Spanish version exists. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and linguistically validate the COAT into Argentine Spanish following the International Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. A Delphi panel of 10 experts evaluated item clarity, relevance, coherence, and comprehensiveness, while a pilot test with 14 healthy children (7 males, 7 females; mean age 7.9 years, SD 3.5) assessed comprehensibility and acceptance. The translation process revealed minor challenges in adapting culturally specific references, which were addressed through expert consensus. The pilot test confirmed that most items were well understood, though some children had minor difficulties with number sequences. No discomfort was reported during administration, supporting the tool's feasibility and acceptance. The Argentine version of the COAT represents a validated, culturally appropriate instrument for assessing PTA in children with traumatic brain injury. Its adaptation ensures conceptual equivalence while accounting for linguistic and cultural nuances. This study provides a crucial first step in making a standardized PTA assessment available for Spanish-speaking populations, facilitating its clinical use and future research. However, further psychometric validation in clinical populations is required to confirm its applicability in diverse healthcare settings.

Preliminary validation study of the Sydney Post-Traumatic Amnesia Scale (SYPTAS) in children with traumatic brain injury aged 4 to 7 years

The aim of this study was to assess the validity (developmental, concurrent, and predictive) of the Sydney Post-Traumatic Amnesia Scale (SYPTAS) for assessment of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) in 4 to 7 year old children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The design of this study is a retrospective cohort study. The SYPTAS was administered to 35 children (26 boys) aged 4.0 to 7.8 years who were consecutively admitted to a children's hospital with mild (n = 26), moderate (n = 3), or severe (n = 7) TBI. Concurrent validity of the SYPTAS was assessed against the Glasgow Coma Scale Scores (GCS). Predictive validity of the SYPTAS for functional outcomes was evaluated against the King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI) at discharge and outpatient follow-ups. The length of PTA, measured by the SYPTAS, was invariant of children's chronological age, confirming the scale's developmental validity. Longer PTA was associated with lower GCS, endorsing concurrent validity of PTA duration measured by the SYPTAS, as a clinical indicator of TBI severity. PTA duration measured by the SYPTAS was a significant predictor of functional outcomes on the KOSCHI at discharge and follow-ups. This study provides evidence that the SYPTAS has good developmental, concurrent and predictive validity for assessment of PTA in children aged 4 to 7 years. PTA duration assessed by the SYPTAS is a clinical indicator of TBI severity and can aid rehabilitation planning post TBI.