Childhood autism: translation and validation of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale for use in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To translate the Childhood Autism Rating Scale into Brazilian Portuguese and to determine the initial psychometric properties of the resulting version (CARS-BR). METHODS The methodology used to produce an adequate version included translation, backtranslation and evaluation of semantic equivalence. In order to determine its psychometric properties (internal consistency, validity and reliability), the CARS-BR was administered to 60 consecutive patients with autism, aged between 3 and 17 years and seen at a university hospital. RESULTS Internal consistency was high, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.82. Convergent validity, in comparison with the Autistic Traits Assessment Scale, exhibited a Pearson's correlation coefficient of r = 0.89. When correlated with the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale in order to evaluate discriminant validity, the CARS-BR exhibited a Pearson's coefficient of r = -0.75. Test-retest reliability exhibited a kappa coefficient of 0.90. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the CARS-BR is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating autism severity in Brazil.