Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the therapeutic intervention manual Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) into brazilian portuguese

PURPOSE: To translate and culturally adapt the intervention manual “Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST)” into Brazilian Portuguese (PB). METHODS: The translation and linguistic adaptation process followed the criteria proposed by Beaton and Guillemin: Stage 1 - Translation; Stage 2 - Synthesis of translations; Stage 3 - Back translation; Stage 4 - Expert committee review; Stage 5 - Pilot study; and Stage 6 - Evaluation of records by the researcher and expert committee. RESULTS: In the adaptation stage, the need to modify terms and instructions translated into Portuguese by the translators for the clinical speech therapy context was shown for terms such as “beats,” “sounds,” and “smooth,” as well as the adequacy of the choice of vowels, since in PB there is no schwa vowel [ə], and there is no possible “equivalence” for Portuguese. The pilot study also indicated the need for a modification in the manual (Stage 5), being necessary to add one more lexical stress pattern, since in PB there are three lexical stress patterns, and not two as foreseen in the original English manual. Currently in the literature there are few intervention methods adapted to PB for children with speech motor disorders. Thus, the translated and adapted manual was based on the Italian adaptation of ReST, with three patterns of lexical stress and modifications in the selection of vowels, thus corroborating the linguistic context of Brazil. CONCLUSION: The Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) manual is adapted to the Brazilian Portuguese linguistic context, with the intervention in the clinical setting being in person or through telecare. Hence, further research could prove its effectiveness through a larger sample of children.