The Turkish Version of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS)

Overview

The Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) is an instrument that assesses the quality and quantity of motor development opportunities available in the home for infants aged 3 to 18 months. Since its initial publication, the AHEMD-IS has grown in popularity as a clinical tool and research criterion. Furthermore, the AHEMD-IS supports the claim that environmental factors can have a positive impact on future motor skills and later cognitive behaviors of infants. Also it is stated that environmental factors are associated with infant motor development and motor abilities. As of writing, it has been translated into eight languages from the original English version and has been reported as valid and reliable in countries such as China, Spain, Lebanon, and Persia. The aim of this study was to produce the Turkish version of the AHEMD-IS and to reveal the validity and reliability of this version.

The International Classification of Health, Function, and Disability (ICF), developed by the World Health Organization, provides a standard framework for identifying the body functions and structures, activity restrictions, and difficulties in children's participation. One of the major innovations in the ICF is that it introduces an environmental factor classification that enables the identification of environmental barriers and facilitators for both the capacity and performance of activities and tasks in daily life. The physical, social, and behavioral environments in which humans live are shaped by environmental factors. Environmental factors are external to the individual and can have a positive or negative impact on an individual's participation, performance, and body function/structure. One of the tools that evaluate the environmental home environment is the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS). The AHEMD-IS is a valuable tool for assessing the home environment, one of the environmental factors affecting infant motor development, and is of considerable research and clinical importance. The importance of this questionnaire is based on evidence not just for the impact of the home environment on motor development, but also on future cognitive and social behaviors. Consequently, this study aimed to translate the original English version into Turkish and to test its psychometric properties for use in children aged 3-18 months. It was aimed to determine whether the translated questionnaire meets the appropriate and necessary standards for measuring the quantity and quality of motor competencies in the home environment of children aged 3-18 month.