Overview
The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – Third Edition (Vineland-3; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Saulnier, 2016) is an individually-administered, norm-referenced measure of adaptive behavior of persons from birth through age 90+. It is used in the assessment of individuals with intellectual, developmental (including autism), and other disabilities. Domains assessed include communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (optional), and maladaptive behaviors (optional); an overall Adaptive Behavior Composite is also yielded. Administration time varies depending on the form used and whether the optional domains are assessed. Formats include Interview (Comprehensive or Domain-Level); Parent/Caregiver Rating Form (Comprehensive of Domain-Level); and Teacher Rating Form (Comprehensive or Domain-Level). The Parent/Caregiver Rating Form (both Comprehensive and Domain-Level versions) is also available in Spanish. Q-global scoring is an option for the Vineland-3, and online training modules are also available for Vineland-3 purchases.
The Vineland–3 has updated item content to reflect changes in technology and conceptions of developmental disabilities. This measure helps in diagnosing and classifying intellectual and developmental disabilities and other disorders. The Vineland–3 contributes to determining eligibility or qualification for special services; planning rehabilitation or intervention programs; and tracking and reporting progress.
Summary
Age: Birth–90+: Parent/ Caregiver Form, Interview; 3:0–21:0 for Teacher Rating Form (TRF)
Time to Administer: 10-50 minutes, depending on form used (e.g., Domain-Level teacher form without optional domains = ~10 mins while Comprehensive Interview including optional domains = ~ 50 minutes)
Method of Administration: Individually administered, norm-referenced measure of adaptive behavior.
Yields standard scores (M = 100, SD = 15), confidence intervals, percentile ranks for Domains and Adaptive Composite; yields v-scale scores (M = 15, SD = 3), age equivalents, and growth-scale values for Subdomains.
Subscales: Overall Composite: Adaptive Behavior Composite
Domain Scores: (Subtests): Communication (Receptive, Expressive, and Written); Daily Living Skills (Personal, Domestic, Community [+ Numeric and School Community in Teacher Form]); Socialization (Interpersonal Relationships, Play and Leisure, Coping Skills)
Optional: Motor Skills (Fine, Gross); and Maladaptive Behavior Index (Internalizing, Externalizing, Critical Items)
Autism Related Research
None found. However, Lopata et al. (2013) found that scores on its predecessor, the Vineland-II, tended to yield higher scores than other instruments that measure similar domains of adaptive behavior (e.g., ABAS-II, BASC-2), which underscores that practitioners must avoid assuming comparability across various measures.