Reliability and validity of the Thai assessment of communication and interaction skills

Communication and interaction skills are important for students’ educational and vocational success. The Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS) is a globally validated tool for measuring social interaction across diverse diagnoses and cultures. It has not yet been adapted for the Thai context. This study aimed to translate this tool into the Thai version (ACIS-TH) and examine its content validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability for use in student populations. Content validity was assessed using the Index of Item Objective Congruence (IOC) through a forward- and backward-translation process. Ten trained Thai occupational therapists (OTs) rated 103 video recordings. To establish interrater reliability, each OT evaluated 20–22 participants. Each participant was evaluated by two different OTs. For test-retest reliability, one rater observed the video of 10–11 students. After four weeks, the same OT re-evaluates these participants. Interrater reliability was examined using percentage absolute agreement and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Test-retest reliability was examined using ICC. ACIS-TH demonstrated strong content validity (IOC = 0.86–1.00). Interrater reliability was excellent, with 86.05% agreement and ICC = 0.936. However, item-level reliability varied, indicating refinement of specific items. The scale demonstrated temporal stability, with test-retest reliability being excellent (ICC = 0.975). ACIS-TH is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating communication and interaction skills among Thai undergraduates. For generalization in other groups, examining the psychometric property in various populations is recommended.