English adaptation, international harmonisation, and normative validation of the Language Screening Test (LAST)

Background: The Language Screening Test (LAST) is a unique bedside tool, designed to rapidly and reliably evaluate aphasia during the acute and chronic phases of stroke. Two equivalent reliable and validated versions of the LAST exist in French.Aims: Our objective was to conduct a linguistic adaptation for English (LASTen) through a process of translation, international harmonisation, and normalisation in multiple English-speaking countries.Methods & Procedures: There were four progressive stages in the adaptation of the LASTen including a series of sequential evaluations to identify problematic items, with selection of alternatives by consensus and in collaboration with the original LAST developers. First, three Canadian translators independently adapted the 29 items of the original LAST into English, resolving discrepancies by consensus to produce adaptation I. Evaluations of adaptation I involved ratings of translation difficulty and multidisciplinary expert panel review to produce adaptation II. Evalu...