Inter-rater Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Version of Categories of Auditory Performance-II (CAP-II) Among Children With Cochlear Implant.

Background: Categories of Auditory Performance II (CAP-II) is an established audiological test that consists of a rating scale that can be used for prospective assessment of the auditory performance of cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Objective: To create and validate an Arabic version of Categories of Auditory Performance scale II (CAP-II), and to evaluate its reliability.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 30 post-CI children (patients' group) along with 30 control subjects were included. The translated Arabic CAP-II scale has been used by speech-language pathologists and parents to evaluate the study subjects' auditory abilities. The interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, pre and postintervention score (responsiveness test), case versus control score comparison (discriminate validity), and cross-validation of the new Arabic version of CAP-II have been assessed.

Results: The Arabic CAP-II demonstrated high test-retest and inter-rater reliability. There was a positive correlation between the Arabic CAP-II and Meaningful auditory integration scale. The Arabic CAP-II scores were higher in the patients' group compared with control subjects.

Conclusion: The Arabic CAP-II showed high inter-rater reliability with excellent concurrent and discriminate validity. The Arabic version of CAP-II seems to be a valid and reliable tool in assessing different auditory performance in Arabic speaking children with hearing impairment.