Abstract
Background
Diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders can be challenging sometimes, especially when the clinical presentation is different from what is normally seen. Evaluating executive functions can provide valuable information about children’s and adolescents’ mental states. There is no available executive function rating scale in Azerbaijani. From this perspective, there was great utility in translating and validating Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale – Children and Adolescents (BDEF-CA). For this research we decided to use the short form of BDEF-CA. The rating scale was translated into Azerbaijani by a bilingual clinical psychologist, also by a professional translator. After performing backward translation, the final version was prepared and was read and approved by two professors of the psychology department at the university. The study population included 148 parents of children 6–17 years old (78 boys and 70 girls).
Results
Findings of this research provide support for the validity and reliability of the Azerbaijani translation of BDEF-CA short version (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficient were both greater than 0.9 and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results indicate an adequate fit).
Conclusion
The Azerbaijani translation of BDEF-CA short version could be used in assessing executive functioning deficits in children and adolescents.