Evaluation of the Reliability and Validity of the Brazilian Version of the Here's How I Write: A Child's Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Tool.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to translate the Here's How I Write: A Child's Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Tool (HHIW) to Portuguese; adapt it to the Brazilian culture; and analyze its reliability, validity, and clinical feasibility. METHOD: The study was developed in two steps: adaptation of the HHIW to Brazilian Portuguese, followed by experimental application to examine its validity and reliability. The participants were 60 children and their teachers, divided into two groups: Group 1, whose members had handwriting difficulties, and Group 2, whose members did not. RESULTS: Children with poor handwriting scored lower on the HHIW for both self- and teacher report. Test-retest reliability of the children's (.96) and teachers' (.93) questionnaires as well as internal consistency (.91 and .95, respectively) were excellent. There was good agreement (.74) between the children's and teachers' total scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds further evidence of validity and reliability and supports the international use of the HHIW. The HHIW is a useful resource to engage children and teachers in a collaborative relationship to improve handwriting.

Food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders and typically developing children.

OBJECTIVES: To define food selectivity and compare indices of food selectivity among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and typically developing children, and to assess the impact of food selectivity on nutrient adequacy. STUDY DESIGN: Food selectivity was operationalized to include food refusal, limited food repertoire, and high-frequency single food intake using a modified food frequency questionnaire and a 3-day food record. Food selectivity was compared between 53 children with ASDs and 58 typically developing children age 3-11 years. Nutrient adequacy was assessed relative to the dietary reference intakes. RESULTS: The children with ASDs exhibited more food refusal than typically developing children (41.7% of foods offered vs 18.9% of foods offered; P <.0001). They also had a more limited food repertoire (19.0 foods vs 22.5 foods; P <.001). Only 4 children with ASDs and 1 typically developing child demonstrated high-frequency single food intake. Children with a more limited food repertoire had inadequate intake of a greater number of nutrients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that food selectivity is more common in children with ASDs than in typically developing children, and that a limited food repertoire may be associated with nutrient inadequacies.