The Value of Adaptive Behavior in
Promoting Wellness and Beyond
Dr. Thomas Oakland
University of Florida
University of Hong Kong
Promoting Wellness and Beyond
• My primary emphasis will be on intervention issues—
how best to promote development and how an
emphasis on adaptive behavior promotes
children’s happiness and thus well-being
• My secondary emphases are on
– diagnosis
– common patterns of adaptive behaviors
displayed by special needs children
Promoting Wellness and Beyond
• Some changes that are occurring as we
transition from the ABAS-II to the
ABAS-III
• The U.S. Justice Department’s emphasis
on placing persons with ID in meaningful
jobs
• And to solicit comments about your use
of the ABAS-II
Let’s Begin By Talking About You
Think about those behaviors you display
most every day that enable you to meet
your personal needs and the natural and
social demands and expectations in your
life consistent with your age, social class,
and culture.
Let’s Talk About You
• You are likely to have
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Used your car or other forms of transportation
Maintained your composure and feelings
Took care of your health (e.g. liquids, vitamins, food)
Cared for your personal needs (toileting and bathing)
Talked with others
Used your reading skills and possibly math skills
Engaged with others socially
Engaged in leisure time activities
Let’s Talk About You
• In summary, you displayed suitable adaptive
behavior in light of standards established for
your age, social class, and culture.
• Today we will focus on
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What adaptive behavior is
How to assess it
How to use this information, and
Common patterns of adaptive behavior of children
and youth who display various special needs
Human Growth and Development
• Most people develop normally
• Some develop more slowly at first
– And then catch up later
– Some remain delayed for years, perhaps for their lives
– Delays may be in
• One behavior
• Two or more—and for some, many behaviors
All children require support and assistance
– 10% to 15% require extra support and assistance
Children who display the following
disabilities/disorders generally need
more support and assistance
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Attention disorders
Autism
Behavior disorders
Brain disorders and injuries
Developmental delays
Learning disorders and disabilities
Social-emotional disorders
Sensory or motor impairment
Visual and auditory disorders
others
What Parents of Special Needs
Children Want For Them
• Parents generally want their children to be
happy.
– Some attempt to purchase happiness
– However, happiness is earned, not purchased
• Happiness occurs when children achieve
behaviors they personally value
– And the behaviors become habitual
• These behaviors include important adaptive
skills and behaviors.
How to promote happiness in children
• Happiness is a brain-based and regulated
emotional state characterized by positive or
pleasant emotions.
• The purpose of emotions is to influence the
scope of our brain functioning and thus either
to draw fully on our capabilities or to limit our
activities.
How to promote happiness in children
• Happiness has a strong biological base, one
that is highly dependent on various brainrelated qualities.
• Among them are the left cortex, prefrontal
cortex, the amygdala, serotonin levels,
dopamine, and others. Keep in mind that
emotions are biologically based.
• Thus, interventions must be sufficiently
powerful to influence and modify the brain.
How to promote happiness in children
• The brain is wired to assist us in displaying routine
behaviors somewhat automatically.
• 95% of brain-behavior relationships are habitual.
• Habits are acquired over time and not easily
changeable. This has important implications for our
behavior-centered work with children, especially
those with special needs, including efforts to promote
adaptive behavior.
• Do not expect habit regulated behaviors to occur
over night
Stress: a culprit to happiness
• Stress generally alerts us to immediate
problems.
• When stressed, the brain favors pre-wired and
thus easily activated and quickly achieved
solutions to immediate problems.
• Thus, when stressed, we tend to behavior
habitually.
Stress: a culprit to happiness
• Happy people see their problems as
temporary, impersonal, and solvable and thus
feel less stress.
• Prolonged stress decreases our ability to be
happy.
• Stress triggers both brain and physiological
reactions that intensify our anxiety and thus
restricts our knowledge of options.
Stress: a culprit to happiness
• Stress produces anxiety
• Together they lead to a restricted range of
emotions and thus behaviors, often either
withdraw or aggression
• When stressed, we are inclined to engage in
behaviors we believe will comfort us (e.g.
drink, drugs, food) yet rarely do.
Stress: a culprit to happiness
• Persons on the autism spectrum experiences
stress and anxiety due to limitations in their
amygdala and fusiform gyrus.
• This results in low levels of social intuition—
qualities that limit both their display and
understanding of suitable social behaviors and
promote social anxiety.
Two Strong and One Weak Influences
• 50% from genetics
• 40% from personal experiences and activities
• 10% from the stuff we purchase to make life
easier and more attractive
Implications from this information
• How to use the 40% of variance that
contributes to happiness over which we have
control
– Engage children in activities
• They personally value
• That offer enduring contributions
• From which they learn about themselves and
others
• Children must be personally engaged: others
cannot give happiness to them
Children’s personal engagement
• on their own or with family, friends, and other
favorite people
• reading, watching movies, or in other
stimulating experiences
• involvement in their community: schools,
sports, hobbies, and other forms of recreation
• taking trips
• becoming independent and self-directed
Children’s personal engagement
• In short, to promote children’s adaptive behavior, we
need to strive to
– identify their personal goals and values
– create conditions that enable them to acquire
personal competence to attain them to the point
they become habitual—accessed easily and used
successfully
• Again, habits, by definition, are not changed easily.
We will talk more about this later.
Remember, happiness is derived
• from how much children enjoy and value their
ability to do what they believe to be important,
• From children’s own actions
• From harmony in what children think, say,
feel, and do
• Happiness cannot be purchased or given by
others.
Six Brain-based emotional styles
contribute importantly to happiness
• The Most Important Two
• Resilience: our ability to recover from adverse
events—to develop habits that favor recovery
• Expectations: our ability to view life
positively
Six Brain-based emotional styles
contribute importantly to happiness
• Four Other Important Qualities
• Social intuition: our ability to attend to, grasp,
and understand social cues—often expressed
nonverbally by others
• Self-awareness: our ability to be sensitive to
signals from our brain and physiological
system that inform us how we are doing
Six Brain-based emotional styles
contribute importantly to happiness
• Four Other Important Qualities
• Sensitivity to context: our ability to moderate
our behaviors and emotional responses in light
of the persons, places, and events we
encounter
• Attention: our ability to form and remain
focused
Thus, attempts to promote happiness
and thus a fuller range of brain-behaviors
include attention to
• Promoting resilience
• Understanding personal expectations
• Engaging students in activities that contribute
to their current and future success
• Reducing stress in order to utilize brainbehavior abilities more fully
What parents also desire for their
special needs children
• Parents want their children to
– Be less dependent on them and more independent
– Function effectively at
• Home
• School
• Work
• Community
– In short, to function as effectively as possible in
their natural and social environments with limited
support, leading to self-confidence and thus
happiness.
10 Specific Behaviors Parents
Want For Them
• 5 Practical skills: To personally
– Care for their personal needs
– Care for their home
– Use community resources
– Care for their health and safety
– Find and sustain work
10 Specific Behaviors Parents
Want For Them
• 3 Cognitive skills: To personally
– Communication with others
– Acquire and use functional academic skills
– Be self-directed and to evaluate their behaviors
• 2 Social skills: To personally
– Get along well with others
– Use their free (leisure) time well
What is Adaptive Behavior?
• Adaptive behavior refers to ways an individual
meets his or her personal needs as well as deals
with natural and social demands and expectations
in their environment consistent with their age,
social class, and culture.
• Abilities and skills that enable a person to function
effectively and independently daily at home, school,
work, and the community.
Why do we use measures of
adaptive behavior?
• What is the major purpose of using any
test?
• To accurately describe behavior
Other reasons to use measures of
adaptive behavior
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estimate future behaviors
assist guidance and counseling services
identify service needs
establish intervention methods
monitor intervention effectiveness
evaluate progress
Other reasons to use measures of
adaptive behavior
• diagnose disabling disorders
• help place persons in jobs or programs
• assist in determining whether persons
should be credentialed, admitted/employed,
retained, or promoted
• research
• administrative and planning purposes
The First Assessment of ID/MR
• The ancient Greek civilization thought a person
was mentally retarded if his or her daily living
skills were substantially lower than others their age
or family members.
• Measures of intelligence began to be used in the
early 1900s to assess ID/MR
• Now measures of intelligence and adaptive
behavior are used to assess ID/MR
• Measures of adaptive behavior also should be used
with persons with other disorders and disabilities
Three Authoritative Sources
That Define MR/ID
• American Association on Mental Retardation (now called
the American Association on Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities)
– AAMR/AAIDD
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
– DSM-4 and DSM-5
• International Classification of Diseases-10
Authoritative Sources
• The AAMR/AAIDD, the DSM-4 and -5, and ICD-10 are
relied on internationally to guide our understanding of
disorders and disabilities by
• Defining them
• Describing standards for their
– Diagnosis
– Assessment
1992 AAMR and DSM-4
Definition of MR/ID
• Mental retardation refers to substantial limitations in
present functioning. It is characterized by significantly
subaverage intellectual functioning, existing concurrently
with related limitations in two or more of the following
applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care,
home living, social skills, community use, self-direction,
health and safety, functional academics, leisure, and work.
Mental retardation manifests before age 18.
• The DSM-4 also used this definition for MR
1992 AAMR and DSM-4
Definition of MR/ID
• Thus, this definition identified 9 important
skill areas to assess in children
– communication
self-care,
– home living
social skills,
– community use
self-direction,
– health and safety functional academics,
– leisure
(work for adults, not children)
Communication
• Looks at others’ faces when they are talking
• Starts conversations on topics of interest to
others.
• Uses up to date information to discuss
current events
Community Use
• Recognizes own home in his/her immediate
neighborhood
• Carries enough money to make small
purchases.
• Calls a doctor or hospital when ill or hurt
Functional Academics
• Points to pictures in books when asked (e.g.
points to a horse or cow)
• Writes his/her first and last names
• Reads and follows instruction to assemble new
purchases
Home Living
• Removes cookies, chips, or other food
from a box or bag
• Folds clean clothes
• Performs minor household repairs (e.g. a
clogged drain or leaky faucet)
Health and Safety
• Cries or whimpers when he/she does not
feel well or is injured
• Cares for his/her minor injuries (e.g. paper
cuts, knee scrapes, nosebleeds
• Buys over the counter medications when
needed for illness
Leisure
• Plays with a single toy or game for at least
one minute
• Follows rules in games
• Reserves tickets in advance for activities
(e.g. concerts or sports events)
Self-Care
• Swallows liquids with no difficulty
• Washes his/her own hair
• Cuts or files his/her own fingernails and
toenails
Self-Direction
• Entertains self in crib or bed for at least one
minute after waking
• Chooses own clothing almost every day
• Plans ahead to allow enough time to
complete big projects
Social
• Smiles when he/she sees parents
• Personally makes or buys gifts for family
members on major holidays
• Listens to friends or family members who
need to talk about problems
Work (for ages > 15)
• Shows a positive attitude toward the work
• Returns tools and other work related items
to their proper location after their use
• Checks his or her work to determine it
improvements are needed
1992 AAMR/DSM-4 Definition
of MR/ID
• Information on these 10 skill areas is
important for two reasons
1. The evaluation of adaptive skills confirms that a person has
functional limitations and, more importantly,
2. The identification of functional, adaptive skill limitations
can be linked to a person's needs for interventions and
services.
• Thus, the inclusion of adaptive behavior addresses two
issues:
– Diagnosis
– Intervention
2002 AAMR/DSM-5 Definition
of MR/ID
• Mental retardation is a disability
characterized by significant limitations both in
intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior
as expressed in conceptual, social, and
practical adaptive skills.
• This disability originates before age 18.
•
The DSM-5 uses this definition yet is vague about
the age 18 cutoff.
–
We will review some DSM-5 changes shortly
Current Definition of ID
– Thus, attention is drawn to three adaptive
skill domains
• Conceptual
• Social
• Practical
– The three domains include the 10 skill
areas
Current Definition of ID
The Conceptual skill domain includes:
Communication
Functional Academics
Self-Direction
The Social skill domain includes:
Social Skills
Leisure
The Practical skill domain includes:
Self-care
Home and School Living
Community Use
Health and Safety
Work
Some general DSM-5 changes
• Discontinuation of multiple axes (all now are I)
• Places some disorders on a spectrum, thus changing
from nominal to ordinal descriptions
• Reclassified and recombined some disorders
• Added disorders
• Recognition of neurocognitive disorders that may
predispose one to display a diagnosis
• Greater emphasis on both clinical and utility
• More reliance on professional (clinical) judgment
DSM-5 and ID: An introduction
• Named Intellectual Developmental Disorder
• Specifies four levels: mild, moderate, severe,
profound
• Does not specify an IQ cut off
• Greater reliance on adaptive functioning and less
reliance on intelligence
• Is more functionally focused (e.g. base diagnosis
and intervention on needed levels of supports)
DSM-5 and ID: An introduction
• Supports may include the need for … help
– Intermittent: now and then with one skill (eating
meat)
– Limited: only with one skill (e.g. eating most
foods)
– Extensive: regular help in many areas (e.g.
dressing, bathing, eating)
– Pervasive: assisting in maintaining all areas of
life
Intellectual developmental disorder
• A neurodevelopmental disorder (yet remains a
mental disorder)
• Characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning
that lead to deficits in adaptive behavior
– Deficits in intellectual functioning (no longer an IQ ~70)
as seen in
• An individually administered standardized measure
of intelligence
• A clinical assessment and judgment
Intellectual developmental disorder
• Deficits in adaptive functioning compared to age, gender,
and socially/culturally matched peers in one or more of
the following three domains (no score level is specified)
• Conceptual abilities
• Social abilities
• Practical abilities
• Includes an emphasis on personal independence together
with a new quality: social responsibility
• Its onset occurs during the developmental period (no
longer stated as < age 19 yet this is assumed)
Intellectual developmental disorder: more
on adaptive behavior
• ID severity is determined from adaptive behavior
– A standardized assessment of adaptive behavior
– And a clinical assessment
• This information is used to clinically judge the degree a
person needs support in reference to the four levels: mild,
moderate, severe, profound
• We do not have and cannot develop standardized measures
that assess qualities associated with these four levels.
• Treatment monitoring may be used to assess severity level
• The goal is to normalize life as much as possible
Thus, when assessing ID,
• Place more reliance on adaptive functioning and
less reliance on intelligence
• Place more reliance on professional/clinical
judgment and less reliance on specific scores
• The assessment will be more comprehensive and
likely to utilize behavioral ‘need for support’ data
to determine the degree of disability
• 30% to 50% of those with ID display another
mental disorder, including a psychiatric disorder
GAC & 3 Conceptual Areas (teacher report)
1 Diagnosis
N=56
100
2 Diagnoses
N=42
90
80
3 Diagnoses
N=38
SS
70
4 Diagnoses
N=21
60
50
GAC
Conceptual
Social
Behav ior Domain
Practical
GAC & 3 Conceptual Areas (parent report)
1 Diagnosis
N=41
2 Diagnoses
N=26
100
90
80
3 Diagnoses
N=25
4 Diagnoses
N=20
SS
70
60
50
GAC
Conceptual
Social
Behav ior Domain
Practical
How the ABAS-II and the
DSM-5 overlap
• The ABAS-II
– Emphasizes the importance of assessing adaptive
behavior with current standardized tests
– Can be used as a clinical interview
– Is the only measure of adaptive behavior that assesses
the three DSM-5 domains; conceptual, social, and
practical skills
– Provides an assessment of persons from birth through
age 89 and thus includes the DSM-5 ages
How the ABAS-II and the
DSM-5 overlap
• The ABAS-II
– Emphasizes the importance of examining behaviors in
light of environmental needs and requirement and thus
contributes to an understanding of ‘need for support’.
– ABAS-2 research confirms that children who display
more diagnoses generally display more adaptive
behavior deficits.
2002 AAIDD Definition of ID
• The ABAS-II has a hierarchical model
(e.g. like a pyramid)
– 1 General Adaptive Composite (GAC)
– 3 domains: conceptual, social, and practical
– 10 skill areas: communication, self-care, home
living, social/interpersonal skills, use of
community resources, self-direction, functional
academics, leisure, health and safety, and work
(for older adolescents and adults)
Some Implications from the Definitions
– Limitations in present functioning must be
considered within the context of community
environments, including schools and homes,
typical of the individual’s age peers and culture.
– Let’s discuss this important point: see next slide
Some Implications from the Definitions
– Limitations exist when the needs and requirements
found in a person’s environment exceed the person’s
adaptive skills
– Thus, we need to know what the person’s
environment requires of the person in order to
judge if there is a limitation
– Low scores in themselves do not indicate a
limitation
– A change in environments may result in a change
in needed requirements.
Some Implications from the Definitions
– A person’s personal life functioning generally will
improve
• With appropriate personalized education and support
• When interventions are
– valued by the person
– important to his/her caretakers/teachers
– important in success in his/her environment
– sustained over weeks and months, and
– used daily—development them to become habits
Keep in mind some prior comments
• Behavior have a strong biological base
• Behaviors typically are habitual and thus slow to change
(95% of brain behaviors are habitual)
• Their change requires the involvement of key persons
– Children/students
– Their parents/guardians
– Their teachers and other educators
• All are likely to be more knowledgeable than us as to
what a student needs and desires
Keep in mind some prior comments
• Intervention planning requires knowledge of
– needed and desired behaviors
– availability of needed resources, including time, to
support their implementation
– willingness to use needed resources
– best environments in which to train the new behaviors
– a commitment to sustain the intervention over time
– recognition that change may be slow
Introduce the ABAS to the Respondent
• Our initial work always is intended to
develop other’s trust
• Discuss the following topics with respondents:
–Purpose of the overall assessment
–Reason for administering the ABAS and from whom the
ABAS information will be acquired
–Explain the instructions
• Designed to acquire an accurate understanding of the child’s
typical performance, not their very best behavior
Acquire an accurate understanding of
the child’s typical performance, not their
best performance
Be wary of attempts
to mischaracterize the person
• Mary, the mother of Jane
– Husband died, is single and has little money
– Wants her daughter to be normal and happy
– Moved recently from New York to Florida
– Enrolled Jane in her neighborhood school
Acquire an accurate understanding of the child’s typical
performance, not their very best behavior
• Jane
– 9 years old female
– Displays cerebral palsy and diminished development in
other areas
– Is in a special education program for young children
with multiple disorders
– Is not sufficiently strong to sit upright and thus is
strapped into a special wheel chair and has a special
table
ABAS Scores Differ: Evidence of Promoting
a Cloak of Competence
mother
teacher
General Adaptive Functioning
90
55
conceptual
89
45
social
93
52
practical
90
58
Domains
How to resolve these differences? Who is correct?
ABAS Scores Differ
•
I met with mother and Jane at their home
• (Describe what occurred)
• Mother trusted me and, after my work, called me for
understanding, support, and encouragement
• Thus, not all scores may be correct.
– Some respondents may not know how to complete the
ABAS and thus do it incorrectly
– Others lie about the child’s behaviors
– Some differences may exist between home and school
Be Wary of Attempts to (Mis)Characterize
Self or Others as Performing Low
• Possible benefits from mischaracterization
– Financial support from the state and federal
governments
– Provision of special education support
– Under Atkins v Virginia, an ID diagnosis (that
requires diminished adaptive behavior) prevents
executions
The ID diagnose will depend on your
diagnostic standards. One follows.
1. Determine the standard for diagnosing ID
1. Consider the level of the GAC (< 70?)
2. Two or more skill area score < 4
3. One of more of the three domains < 70
2. Interview the student, parents, teachers, and other
relevant person.
3. Review the person’s history, other assessments,
and records—a search for consistency in the data
Using the ABAS scores to diagnose ID
4. Review the intelligence data to determine
their consistency with the ABAS data.
5. A diagnosis of ID is a high stakes decision,
one likely to be life changing.
6. Make this diagnosis only after a careful
review of all relevant information and in
consultation with others—especially
family members.
Estimate future behaviors
• Development during ages 0-18
– Is continuous
– Shows a similar developmental trajectory for
children who are average and below average
– Yet, for those with special needs, is slower and
plateaus earlier
– Is most rapid during infancy—thus, early
interventions are important
– Development decelerates with age
Estimate future behaviors
• Four levels of ID
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Mild
Moderate
Severe
Profound
• Improvements in adaptive functioning
– May occur in all four levels
– Will be most apparent in those with mild levels
– Least in those with severe and profound levels
ABAS–II Information to Plan
and Implement Interventions
Basic considerations:
• Analyze environmental needs:
• current environment
• target environment
• Strive to match skills and environmental needs/demands
• Identify support needs
• Assumption: adaptive skills interventions are more
effective than those on adaptive behavior.
• Analyze the client’s adaptive skills at the item level
Components of Planning and
Implementing Interventions: A summary
1.
Identify skill levels needed in one’s current environment
or the environment into which the person is moving. Note
the need for various levels of support:
– Intermittent: now and then with one skill (eating meat)
– Limited: only with one skill (e.g. eating most foods)
– Extensive: regular help in many areas (e.g. dressing,
bathing, eating)
– Pervasive: assisting in maintaining all areas of life
2. Identify current areas of strengths and weaknesses relative
to environmental needs/demands.
3. Identify and prioritize intervention objectives based on
discrepancies between environmental needs and personal
attainment.
4. Identify behaviors others desire.
5. Implement interventions to achieve objectives
6. Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the
interventions
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
1. Understand the nature and needs of the person’s environments.
①
To what extent does the person possess needed qualities. (Is there a
skill deficit?) = a score of 0 on ABAS items
②
To what extent does the person display needed qualities. (Is there a
performance deficit?) = a score of 1 on ABAS items
③
What resources are needed to help develop or display needed behaviors?
See next frame.
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
What resources are needed to help develop or display
needed behaviors?
– Intermittent help
– Limited help
– Extensive help
– Pervasive help
• For how long will this help be needed?
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
• Does the person’s environments
– have the resources to provide needed support?
– display a desire to provide it?
• What changes in these environments are need to
provide needed assistance?
– E.G.
assistance in organizing work
help preparing to eat
making suitable purchases
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
The possibility of change—the issue of prognosis.
With mild levels of delay: good. Many children with mild
levels of ID can assume a somewhat normal adult life—
with support
With moderate levels of delay: less good. Prognosis is
better if they are educated, live, and work in normal
environments
With severe to profound levels of delay: generally not good.
They are likely to need life-long assistance to meet their
basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and toileting.
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
Where is change most likely to occur?
On specific behaviors (that is, at the item level)
Less likely: skill area
Unlikely: domains and GAC levels
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
– Identify three or four relevant ABAS items that are
either… to work on initially
0 = the person is unable to display the desired behavior
1 = the person is able yet does not display the desired behavior
2 = the person displays the desired behavior sometimes when needed
– Then identify the ways in which these behaviors can be
both developed and sustained. Become an educator.
Consider using the ABAS Intervention Planner for
suggestions.
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs: importance of the child/student
• The success of interventions is higher when the
child or student
– participates in selecting the interventions
– values the behaviors
– wants to acquire them
– thus, is motivated to both develop, use, and thus
sustain the behavior
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs: importance of the parents
and teachers
• Success increases when they also
–
–
–
–
participate in the selection of the interventions
value the behaviors
want them acquired
thus are motivated to both help
•
•
develop the behavior and
sustain an environment in which these behaviors can be
displayed and rewarded regularly
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs: importance of the parents
and teachers
• The success of these interventions is higher
when
– they have the resources to implement and
sustain the behavior program
– the interventions are within the zone of
proximal development
– training occurs in environments in which the
desired behaviors eventually will be displayed.
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
– Remember: change most likely will occur in reference
to specific behaviors, that is, at the item level
– Thus, program monitoring may require the readministration of ABAS items, perhaps after three
months, to determine if desired changes occurred.
– .
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
– If desired changes are not apparent,
• Examine the degree the desired interventions were
implemented with integrity and at least daily
• Discuss with others why the interventions were not
successful
• Plan and implement Plan B
Using the ABAS scores to plan and monitor
intervention programs
– If desired changes are apparent, identify other desired
behaviors using the previously discussed strategies
– Determine their importance to the person who is
acquiring the behaviors and to caretakers and others
who are implementing the change.
– Also determine that the desired behaviors are within
the person’s zone of proximal development, have the
opportunity to be displayed and rewarded daily, and
are trained in the environments in which the desired
behaviors are to occur.
ABAS is used with children and youth
who display various disorders
•
•
•
•
•
•
ID
ADHD
Behavior/Emotional Disorders
Hearing Impairment
LD
Neuropsychological Disorders
ABAS is used with younger children and
youth who display various disorders
•
•
•
•
•
•
Developmental Delays
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Motor Disorder
Mild and Moderate ID
Language Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Validity Studies with
Clinical Samples
Results for Samples with ID
Sample
GAC
Mean
GAC <70
2+ skill areas
%
4 or below
Down’s (T, n=22)
55 (100)
82
(5)
100 (23)
MRMI (T, n=66)
73 (97)
50 (14)
76 (32)
MRMO (T, n=41)
59 (98)
70 (4)
100 (30)
MR-UN (T, n=84)
62 (101)
70 (7)
98 (20)
MR-UN (P, n=41)
64 (99)
71 (0)
83
MR-UN (A, n=30)
62 (92)
87 (17)
87 (17)
Note: Data for matched control group appears in parentheses.
(5)
ID
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
7
6
SS
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
5
4
3
2
1
0
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
Adaptive Skill Area
SC
SD
SOC
ADD/ADHD
Sample
Ages 5–9
GAC  70
%
Mean
GAC
2 or More Skill  4
%
(T, n=30)
77 (101)
43 (7)
66 (20)
Ages 6–21 (P, n=49)
91 (100)
14 (2)
27 (12)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
10
9
SS
8
7
T 5-9
P 6-21
6
5
4
3
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
Adaptive Skill Area
SC
SD
SOC
Behavior Disorder &
Emotional Disturbance
GAC  70
%
Mean
GAC
Sample
2 or More Skill  4
%
Ages 6–21
(T, n=56)
77 (92)
39 (16)
73 (36)
Ages 5–18
(T, n=73)
78 (99)
37 (10)
70 (25)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
8
SS
7
6
C1
C2
5
4
3
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
SC
Adaptive Skill Area
SD
SOC
Hearing Impairment
Sample
Ages 5–19
GAC  70
%
Mean
GAC
(T, n=19)
93 (99)
2 or More Skill  4
%
16 (5)
26 (21)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
10
SS
9
8
Hear
7
6
5
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
Adaptive Skill Area
SC
SD
SOC
Learning Disability
Mean
GAC
GAC  70
%
2 or More Skill  4
%
91 (102)
11
(3)
42 (17)
Ages 10–12 (T, n=62)
84
(99)
29 (8)
61 (27)
Ages 13–21 (T, n=114)
87 (94)
24 (11)
48 (36)
Ages 7–21 (P, n=26)
88 (103)
15 (8)
42 (15)
Sample
Ages 5–9
(T, n=72)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
10
9
SS
C1
C2
C3
C4
8
7
6
5
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
Adaptive Skill Area
SC
SD
SOC
Neuropsychological Disorder
Mean
GAC
Sample
GAC  70
%
2 or More Skill  4
%
C1, Ages 18–85 (AS, n=18)
82 (100)
28
(0)
50
(6)
C2, Ages 25–85 (AO, n=20)
67 (101)
75
(5)
75 (10)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
9
SS
8
7
C1
C2
6
5
4
3
COM
CU
FA
SL
HS
LEI
Adaptive Skill Area
SC
SD
SOC
Developmentally Delayed
Age Range
Teacher
(n=48)
Parent
(n=78)
2–5
0–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
84 (99)
86 (97)
86 (97)
84 (97)
81 (102)
84 (100)
86 (101)
82 (101)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
26 (4)
17 (2)
20 (9)
22 (4)
28 (1)
20 (8)
19 (5)
25 (4)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
35 (8)
70 (9)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 0-5
Pervasive Develop’l Disorder
Age Range
Teacher
(n=19)
Parent
(n=18)
3–5
3–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
69 (100)
66 (97)
66 (94)
66 (98)
73 (103)
72 (103)
70 (103)
69 (103)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
50 (11)
61 (11)
72 (11)
56 (11)
44 (0)
44 (0)
50 (0)
50 (0)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
74 (11)
56 (0)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 3-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 3-5
At Risk
Age Range
Teacher
(n=30)
Parent
(n=66)
2–5
0–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
85 (105)
84 (102)
79 (105)
81 (104)
86 (103)
87 (103)
83 (104)
82 (103)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
23 (0)
17 (0)
37 (0)
27 (0)
14 (0)
13 (2)
22 (2)
25 (0)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
27 (0)
26 (3)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 0-5
Motor Impairment
Age Range
Teacher
(n=32)
Parent
(n=50)
2–5
0–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
84 (98)
84 (98)
71 (96)
76 (97)
86 (98)
87 (99)
79 (97)
79 (98)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
30 (13)
29 (6)
58 (13)
40 (10)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
53 (9)
18 (4)
16 (0)
24 (2)
33 (0)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SD
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
36 (4)
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
P 0-5
Mild ID
Age Range
Teacher
(n=31)
Parent
(n=27)
2–5
2–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
67 (101)
71 (104)
71 (99)
67 (101)
68 (100)
71 (101)
71 (99)
66 (100)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
65 (0)
58 (0)
52 (3)
58 (0)
70 (0)
52 (4)
43 (0)
70 (0)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
68 (0)
70 (0)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 2-5
Moderate ID
Age Range
Teacher
(n=19)
Parent
(n=22)
2–5
2–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
7
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
66 (99)
68 (98)
68 (102)
65 (99)
63 (98)
69 (97)
68 (97)
63 (98)
6
5
4
3
74 (5)
63 (0)
68 (0)
63 (0)
73 (5)
55 (5)
59 (5)
73 (5)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
68 (5)
77 (9)
2
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 2-5
Language Disorder
Age Range
Teacher
(n=52)
Parent
(n=52)
2–5
2–5
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
9
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
82 (99)
86 (100)
87 (96)
84 (99)
81 (102)
87 (102)
87 (101)
84 (102)
8
7
6
5
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
25 (4)
12 (4)
17 (13)
13 (4)
27 (2)
10 (2)
12 (0)
21 (2)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
29 (17)
23 (2)
4
3
CU
COM
FA
HS
LEI
MO
HL
SC
SOC
Adaptive Skill Area
T 2-5
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
SD
P 2-5
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Mean
GAC
Sample
Ages 5–18
(T, n=32)
54 (101)
GAC  70
%
84
(3)
2 or More Skill  4
%
92 (16)
Mean Performance across Adaptive Skill Area
SS
Adaptive Skill Area
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Teacher
(n=30)
Parent
(n=49)
Age Range
3–5
3–5
Mean
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
73 (102)
67 (101)
66 (101)
67 (102)
72 (98)
65 (99)
65 (98)
64 (98)
% ≤ 70
Conceptual
Social
Practical
GAC
62 (0)
74 (0)
74 (0)
71 (0)
56 (0)
65 (6)
65 (6)
71 (6)
% of 2 or More Skill ≤ 4
77 (0)
71 (9)
Note. Numbers in parenthesis represent non-clinical sample cases.
Mean Performance across
Adaptive Skill Area
Adaptive Skill Area
Summary of Clinical Findings
• The ABAS-II can assist in validly assessing
individuals with various disabilities and disorders.
• Further research is needed with larger samples.
• Assessment of adaptive skills can provide
important information to a comprehensive
assessment.
• Information on strengths and weaknesses in
adaptive skills may provide useful information for
program planning and monitoring.
Summary of Clinical Findings
• The ABAS-II has good clinical sensitivity in
distinguishing (1) some clinical from non-clinical
groups and (2) individuals with mild and moderate
levels of mental retardation.
• The mean GACs are significantly lower for
clinical groups than matched control groups.
• Most clinical cases obtained
– GACs and Domain scores < 71.
– adaptive skill scaled scores < 5.
Some Changes in the ABAS-III
• Revisions were guided by focus group meetings
held last year at the NASP and other conventions
• Updating norms to reflect demographic changes
• Changes to about 10% of the items
– Our environments have changed considerably in the last
10 years (e.g. we no longer use pay phones)
• Inclusion of more items that assess
gullibility
– A quality often displayed by those with ID
Some Changes in the ABAS-III
• All items for one skill area appear on one page
• Simplify the transfer of data from one page to
another
• Includes an option to access the ABAS-III through
the Internet
• Adds to and improve our Intervention Planner
• The manual and forms with have a new WPS look
– This is the first ABAS revision made by WPS
Justice Department Settles RI Case
on Jobs for those with ID
• Long-standing practice of placing special needs
persons in segregated shelter workshops
–
–
–
–
–
Removed from competitive employment
Performs routine and dull work
Did not acquire skills that generalized to other settings
Were not paid minimum wage
Clients often remained in these workshops until their
retirement
Justice Department Settles RI Case
on Jobs for those with ID: The Remedy
• Prepare high school students for competitive jobs in
the community that promote inclusion by utilizing
– Internships
– Mentoring programs
Justice Department Settles RI Case
on Jobs for those with ID: The Remedy
• Help persons obtain typical jobs in the community
that
– pay at least minimum wages
– allow employed hours typical of the industry
• Provide support for non-work activities in normal
environments
–
–
–
–
Community centers
Libraries
Recreational facilities
Educational facilities
A Further Look At ASD
Let’s review some information
about children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder
• Impaired social interactions
• Impaired interpersonal communication
• Restricted repertoire of activities and
interests
• Current CDC estimates suggest an
incidence of 1:65 to 85
Let’s review some information
about children with ASD
• There are no consistent biological markers
for ASD.
• Thus, we need to rely on behavioral
measures for diagnosis, intervention, and
follow-up evaluation.
National Autism Center’s National
Standards Project
• Its review of 775 studies  identifying
intervention programs that were
–
–
–
–
Established = demonstrably effective
Emerging
Unestablished
Ineffective/harmful
Information from the National
Standards Project
• Established Treatments emphasized
–
–
–
–
–
–
Applied behavioral analysis
Behavioral psychology
Positive behavior supports
Functional alternative behaviors
Interventions in naturalistic settings
Promotion of independent behaviors
An emphasis on behaviors
= A person’s activities in response to external
and internal stimuli
= Qualities that can be objectively observed
and measured
• In contrast, in UK, emphasis is placed on
decreasing stress and thus anxiety, leading
to a fuller utilization of brain-related
behaviors
An emphasis on behavioral
assessment
Observations, interviews, tests, and other
methods that sample personal qualities
displayed in a situational context.
The results of such measures often lead to
interventions.
As emphasis on functional
behaviors that
•
•
•
•
help ensure survival
are foundational to other behaviors
have a direct bearing on daily living skills
ABAS and other measures of adaptive behavior are
critical when working with children who display
ASD
– Diagnosis
– Program planning/intervention
– Program evaluation
Questions and Comments
• Including your use of the ABAS-II
Thanks for attending
• Best wishes for a successful conference