FAQ: How Was the Spanish Version of AEPS-3 Developed?

AEPS^®-3 helps your program support children and families from diverse backgrounds in several important ways, including the carefully developed Spanish version. Today, AEPS-3 expert María Camila Londoño Aristizabal (Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada) is here to answer a frequently asked question:

Is the communication portion of the AEPS-3 Test in Spanish just a translation of the English version, or was it specifically created with consideration for how a child learns Spanish as a first language?

María says:

The Spanish version of AEPS-3 is much more than a simple translation. While the communication items are based on the same developmental framework as the English version, the Spanish materials were developed through a rigorous, multi-step process to ensure accuracy, cultural appropriateness, and accessibility for Spanish-speaking families.

The translation was completed by bilingual professionals with extensive experience working with young children and families, with support from an expert in Spanish language and early literacy. To ensure quality and accuracy, the translation was reviewed by a speech-language pathologist who works directly with Spanish-speaking families in early intervention, as well as by other native Spanish-speaking professionals from diverse backgrounds.

The communication area was carefully adapted to reflect the syntactical and structural features of Spanish. Some communication items could not be translated literally because certain English grammar rules do not apply in Spanish, and Spanish has its own linguistic structures that are developmentally important for children to master.

For example: the English version includes items on the use of regular and irregular plural nouns or helping verbs, but these concepts do not function in the same way in Spanish. Instead, the Spanish version evaluates comparable skills such as gender and number agreement, verb conjugations, and the appropriate use of clitic pronouns.

These adaptations ensure that the test measures the same underlying developmental abilities in communication, but in ways that are authentic and linguistically appropriate for Spanish-speaking children.

It is also important to note that Spanish naturally varies across regions, and some words may carry different meanings or may not be commonly used in certain countries (for example, between Spain and various Latin American contexts). To address this, the AEPS-3 team deliberately selected neutral, widely understandable vocabulary so that the Spanish version would be accessible to the broadest possible range of families across Spanish-speaking communities.

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Thanks to María Camila Londoño Aristizabal for answering this important question about the AEPS-3 Test in Spanish. For a broader look at how AEPS-3 helps your program support diverse children and families, read this article: 5 Ways AEPS-3 Accommodates Diversity.