Overview
Adaptive behavior is a critical measure when assessing students who have or are suspected of having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Volkmar et al., 2014). This type of assessment assists in transition planning and may help ensure the student has the necessary skills to be productive when he or she has left the school environment. Assessing adaptive behavior in both school and home settings can provide additional valuable information about generalization of skills across settings. The use of a formal adaptive behavior measure allows the assessment team to determine the student’s level of functioning in daily tasks required to be successful in the home, community, and workplace. Tassé et al. (2012) provided a thorough explanation on the use of the adaptive behavior construct and its contribution to a broader understanding of intellectual disability.
Critically, however, assessment of adaptive behavior should be a standard component of any ASD evaluation, even for high-functioning individuals (Klin & Volkmar, 2000; Saulnier & Ventola, 2012).
Included within this section of the TARGET is summary information about the following instruments for adaptive behavior assessment:
- Adaptive Behavior Assessment System –Third Edition (ABAS-3)
- Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R)
- Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – Third Edition (Vineland-3).
The summary of adaptive behavior assessments included in this section is not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, the assessments were selected based on their prevalence within clinical and academic settings as well as their relevance to children with ASD.
Autism Related Research
Though research regarding the use of adaptive behavior measures specifically within the ASD population is sparse, a now-updated measure, the ABAS-II, was found to have utility in autism evaluations, even for high-functioning children (Kenworthy et al., 2010). Different adaptive behavior instruments may measure different aspects of functioning, however. For example, the Vineland-II tended to yield higher scores compared to other instruments measuring similar domains (e.g., ABAS-II, BASC-2) (Lopata et al., 2013). With this in mind, practitioners are encouraged to gather information about adaptive behavior from a variety of sources and approaches to facilitate the most effective programming, placement, and supports for students with ASD.
Misconceptions
Myth:
High functioning individuals with ASD do not have problems with adaptive behaviors.
Reality:
A study completed in 2007 revealed that on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, participants with Asperger Syndrome (i.e., no cognitive impairment) had low or moderately low levels of adaptive skills across all domains, including Communication (M = 76.10), Daily Living Skills (M = 67.75), Socialization (M = 62.27), and Adaptive Behavior Composite (M = 64.28) (Myles, Lee, Smith, Tien, Chou, Swanson, et al., 2007). Additional research supports these findings (Kenworthy et al., 2010; Lee & Park, 2007).
Myth:
If a student has an average or higher IQ, an adaptive behavior measure is unnecessary.
Reality:
Although a student has an average IQ and is doing well academically, that does not mean that an adaptive measure is not needed. Research indicates that many students with autism have deficits in communication, daily living skills, and socialization (Lee & Park, 2007; Myles et al., 2007). Klin and Volkmar (2000) noted that adaptive behavior is a critical area of planning for students who have autism in order to help them be successful when transitioning from the school environment to the work and community environments.
Myth:
If adaptive behavior measures demonstrate a discrepancy between home and school functioning, the results are probably invalid.
Reality:
It is possible that the student’s behavior is drastically different in each setting because the demands of the settings differ (Lee & Park, 2007) and the student is not generalizing skills from one setting to another. The student may also be using coping strategies to “hold it together” at school and then may “fall apart” when he gets home due to the stress of coping with the functional demands of the school setting throughout the day.