DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY VALIDATION OF ACTIVITY CARD SORT FOR ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN TAMIL NADU INDIA: AN INSTITUTION VERSION

Abstract

Purpose: Occupation is central to occupational therapy, where client engagement indicates health and well-being. The Activities Card Sort (ACS) is a key measure used to identify participation level in daily activities within a population. This study aimed to develop an Indian version of the ACS for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ACS-IAAASD) specific to Tamil Nadu, India and to identify the most relevant activities for Indian adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder within their culture.

Methods: A mixed-method approach was used to generate and validate items, followed by a pilot study to assess the internal consistency of the ACS-IAAASD.

Results: The ACS-IAAASD included 79 activities and identified domains of occupation showing a high Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89 and a content validity index of 0.98.

Conclusion: The ACS-IAAASD is a reliable tool for assessing engagement in this population; however further study of its psychometric properties is necessary to explore its other types of reliability and validity to standardize the tool.