Brains Without Borders: Pre-Conference Workshop

Cross-Cultural Test Adaptation: When, Why, and How

Presenters: Aparna Dutt, Tedd Judd and Jon Evans

Global inequity in access to and quality of neuropsychology services continues to be a major issue. One reason among many for this inequity is a lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate neuropsychological tests in many parts of the world. Adapting tests that were developed in other cultural and linguistic contexts is sometimes a viable solution, but it is critical that test adaptation is undertaken in a way that ensures that tests are valid in the new context. In this workshop we will examine the factors that influence test performance. We will discuss when test adaptation is appropriate and when development of a new local or ‘indigenous’ test may be a better option. For those situations where test adaptation is appropriate, we will describe the steps in the adaptation process, including adapting test instructions and scoring, drawing on our neuropsychological application of the International Test Commission (ITC) guidelines on test translation and adaptation. We will illustrate with examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas and from multiple languages. We will look at popular instruments as well as novel local innovations. Practical exercises will be used to illustrate key components of the adaptation process drawing on participants’ own language skills and practice contexts. This workshop will be relevant to anyone who adapts neuropsychological tests, but also for those who need to select appropriate, fair, useful tests for clinical practice and research with linguistically and culturally diverse populations.

PLACE: The Lord Charles, Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa

DATE: 14 April 2027

COST in South African Rands: R2 850.00 (early registration: R 2 650.00)

CONTACT US: info@neuropsychologysa.co.za