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ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT SYSTEM-2ND ADDITION {ABAS-2} 2

Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-2nd Edition [ABAS-2]

Rebecca Faino

PSY7610 Test and Measurements

Dr. Tawnyea Lake

Capella University

8/12/2018

Introduction

In the United States, Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-2nd Edition [ABAS-2] has become the most extensively utilized assessment method for school-going children who have been characterized by autistic features, as well as those having intellectual and learning disabilities, physical and sensory impairments, pervasive developmental disorders, biological risk factors, and neuropsychological complications. This could be due to this norm-referenced standardized tool having unparalleled accuracy abilities as well as being able to be applied to all ages right from birth to 89 years old. Furthermore, the test is in various languages, thus can be applied to different individuals having different dialects. The three domains of ABAS-2 have ten different skills areas, but I shall zeroed-down on practical, conceptual, and social skills.

For this project, I have zeroed-down on a population composed of autistic children having learning disabilities, besides who day-in and day-out tussle with hitches that include life skills and adaptive functioning. For these children to realize their potential, thus being more productive in the society, it is significant that every effort is made to support them.

ABAS-2 Technical Review Articles Annotated Bibliography:

Papazoglou, A., Jacobson, L.A., & Zabel, T.A. (2013). More than intelligence: Distinct cognitive/behavioral clusters linked to adaptive dysfunction in children. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 16(2): 18-197. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.1017/S1355617712001191

These researchers' look at intelligence and behavioral patterns through studying adaptive dysfunction of neurological impaired test-takers, with or without intellectual disabilities. In their study, strong internal consistency with a Cronbach’s score of a = 0.98 is exhibited by ABAS-2. Likewise, ABAS-2 exhibits a skill Cronbach’s score of a = 0.95-0.97 and that of the domain as a = 0.86-0.93.

With a GAC corrected test-retest value reliability of r = 0.93, the implication is that the measure is reliable as well as stable over time. Similarly, a corrected test-retest of r = 0.89-0.93 and r = 0.86-0.92 are exhibited in the domain and skill areas respectively. One way ANOVA was applied to test for the variations between the demographic values clusters. Utilization of standard deviations and mean scores illustrated that generally, children were at least one standard deviation point lower than the norm.

The researchers’ results demonstrated that multiple variables might have a significant role in emotional or behavioral disorders deprived of intellectual disabilities. The researchers’ utilized a four cluster solution, which they argue that the solution is only discreetly consistent. As a consequence, further study is recommended to validate reliability as well as validity. In the same context, there is a high possibility of each child’s behavior changing over time.

Yeates, K.O., Taylor, H.G., Walz., N.C., Stancin, T., & Wade, S.L. (2010). The family environment as a moderator of psychosocial outcomes following traumatic brain injury in young children. Neuropsychology, 24(3): 345-356. doi:10.1037/a0018387

These researchers' focus towards how variables like the environment of a family impede on psychosocial outcomes of 3 to 6 years-old traumatized brain and orthopedic injured children. At an interval of 6 months for 18 months, four assessments concerning adaptive functioning, social competence, and behavior were calculated. Measures involved included less than six-years-old infants or preschool and six plus years-old school-aged children. In this article, the element of validity and reliability statistics are not shown by the researchers', but they mention that ABAS-2 validated outstanding reliability.

High standardized estimates of 0.41 were registered in the behavior adjustment category of parents' ratings utilizing the school-aged version than the preschool version. Children who had better premorbid adaptive functioning demonstrated a standardized estimate of 0.59 than those who did not. In this study rater variance illustrates the error of variance; which could have had a predictor and the results outcomes correlation. As a consequence, the tests ought to be more reliable amongst the test-takers.

Likewise, more accurate results could be obtained through the utilization of measures that are similar for the entire cohorts. One more variance error would be related to the short research duration, thus increasing the study duration could result in better reliability. The study also illustrated a weakness of only measuring family environment once, soon after the injury; which implies that measuring family environment more than once has a high chance of offering more consistent plus precise results.

Lopata, C., Fox, J., Thomeer, M., Smith, R., Volker, M., et al. (2012). ABAS-II ratings and correlates of adaptive behavior in children with HFASDs. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 24(4): 391-402. doi: 10.1007/s10882-012-9277-1

Through utilizing the ABAS-2 measure, adaptive functioning for children aged between 7 and 12 years-old are examined in this article. The study focuses on age, intelligence quotient, strengths and weaknesses, symptoms of autism, as well as predictors and adaptive functioning with high performing autism children. Cohen’s d, descriptive data, and Bonferroni-corrected one-sample t-tests are the statistical measures used.

Internal consistency reliability for composite was 0.95-0.98, while that of skill areas being 0.86-0.93. Reliabilities for both skills area and composite test-retest scores were higher or equal to 0.87. Age differences exhibit validity as being maintained simultaneously by medium to robust adaptive functioning measure.

Basing on the results, ABAS-2 was more operational at measuring adaptive functioning as well as high functioning autism. Variance errors included omitted responses as well as duplicated answers; which both are response errors. Additional errors include the requirement of a more extended study duration to determine social impairments in different samples stability, as well as there is lack of a control group. Since the control group was majorly males, the generalization was compromised.

Nah, Y., Young, R.L., & Brewer, N. (2014). Using the autism detection in early childhood [AEDC] and childhood autism rating scales [CARS] to predict long-term outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and developmental disorders, 44(9): 2301-2310. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.1007/s10803-014-2102-1

In this article, the researchers do utilize ABAS-2 in parallel as well as in conjunction with additional methods. A supplementary scale at the 6-year-old follow markup was used with ABAS-2. The research aimed to evaluate predictive reliability utilizing apart from ABAS-2 as a follow-up measure, two more scales. The results for the ABAS-2 GAC [General Adaptive Composite] pointed towards an internal consistency and reliability r = 0.90. On the other hand, when ABAS-2 GAC was utilized in conjunction with two additional tests, it on the Adaptive Behavior Composite ranges between 0.70 and 0.84 correlated with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale; which illustrates diagnostic consistency.

Picard, I., Morin, D., & De Mondehare, L. (2014). A psychoeducational program for parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Policy & Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(4), 279-292. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12099

The researchers' to undertake a comparison of the psychoeducational program for parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities with another self-help support group intervention. To gauge the level of parental stress parents of intellectually disabled children were issued with various questionnaires to fill that were based on ABAS-2 measurements.

The results indicated a high internal consistency, for the reason that both the GAC and adaptive domains reliability coefficients were in the nineties. Likewise, the test-retest reliability was in the nineties, while the inter-rater reliability was at 0.89 when their teachers rated students of all ages. On the other hand, the article only mentions that the test demonstrated noteworthy validity. Within this study, an error of variance was established while using small sample sizes, as they led to a small comparison group.

The researchers' results indicate that both special programs and interventions do support towards availing them with the much-needed resources to support these affected children. However, they do assert that the measurement might be too indifferent to become aware of alterations, which implies that the test might lack the capability of selecting parents that acquired support, hence affecting the results of this study.

Hill, T., Gray, S., Kamps, J., & Varela. E.R. (2015). Age and adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with ASD: the effects of intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 45(12):4074-4083. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2522-6

This article deliberates on the relationship between intellectual functioning with age on top of the adaptive function and autism severity. Parents were supplied with questionnaires concerning their child's adaptive functioning based on the ABAS-2 measure to fill. 74.5 percent of the respondents out of the 220 children had an IQ of equal to or higher than 70. Through t-test scores, it was established the correlation between males and intellectual functioning was significantly higher than females.

In order to differentiate severity and age with intellectual functioning, slopes and subscales were applied. The article does not deliberate upon reliability but discusses the intellectual functioning validation loses due to behavioral changes; which necessitates the validation of these results as behavioral changes are occurring.

Papazoglou, A., Jacobson, L.A., McCabe, M., Kauffmann, W., & Zabel., T.A. (2014). To ID or not to ID? Changes in classification rates of intellectual disability using DSM-5. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 52(3): 165-174. http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/1542022446?accountid=27965

The article delves deeper to deliberate on the transformations made on DSM-5, with a particular interest on intellectual disability whose current diagnosis requires only one adaptive domain; unlike previously where two or more impairments in the skill areas where required. The researchers used ABAS-2 for testing intellectual disability on 884 children aged between 6 and 16 years-old to assess these changes made by DSM-5. The DSM-IV met criteria for the diagnosis of intellectual disability on 160 children, however, in the new changes made to DSM-5, the number decreased to 151.

A strong internal consistency of x = 0.98, skill area of x = 0.95-0.97, and domain x = 0.86-0.93 were demonstrated by ABAS-2 GAC; which implies that it's strong and stable over time. Test-Retest Reliability of r = 0.93 is exhibited by the ABAS-2 GAC, whereas that of skill area is r = 0.84-0.92 and that of domain corrected area being r = 0.89-0.93. Although the statistical significance was not indicated, the ABAS-2 validity pointed considerably towards the measure being satisfactory. The teacher version demonstrates a higher validity percent of impaired skill areas for children with mild intellectual disability.

The results indicate that the DSM-5 changes registered a 9 percent decrease as compared to the previous DSM-IV. Thus DSM-5 can be championed to be more effective through using it in combination with other standardized tests. All in all, to circumvent psychometric issues, clinical judgment must be integrated whenever new criteria are presented.

Conclusion:

Without a doubt, all the articles point towards an internal consistency that ranges from intense to high. Furthermore, in these studies, scores of test-retest were also high, as well as validity that is binding and satisfactory. Additionally, it is worthy to note that in order to guarantee sound diagnostic consistency, the application of a combination of ABAS-2 and other measures should be taken into consideration. To crown it all ABAS-2 is highly inclined towards dependable and robust reliability, therefore, making it a valid measurement test for the population composed of autistic children having learning disabilities, besides who day-in and day-out tussle with hitches that include life skills and adaptive functioning.

References

Hill, T., Gray, S., Kamps, J., & Varela. E.R. (2015). Age and adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with ASD: the effects of intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 45(12):4074-4083. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2522-6

Lopata, C., Fox, J., Thomeer, M., Smith, R., Volker, M., et al. (2012). ABAS-II ratings and correlates of adaptive behavior in children with HFASDs. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 24(4): 391-402. doi: 10.1007/s10882-012-9277-1

Nah, Y., Young, R.L., & Brewer, N. (2014). Using the autism detection in early childhood [AEDC] and childhood autism rating scales [CARS] to predict long-term outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and developmental disorders, 44(9): 2301-2310. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.1007/s10803-014-2102-1

Papazoglou, A., Jacobson, L.A., & Zabel, T.A. (2013). More than intelligence: Distinct cognitive/behavioral clusters linked to adaptive dysfunction in children. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 16(2): 18-197. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.1017/S1355617712001191

Papazoglou, A., Jacobson, L.A., McCabe, M., Kauffmann, W., & Zabel., T.A. (2014). To ID or not to ID? Changes in classification rates of intellectual disability using DSM-5. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 52(3): 165-174. http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/1542022446?accountid=27965

Picard, I., Morin, D., & De Mondehare, L. (2014). The psychoeducational program for parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Policy & Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(4), 279-292. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12099

Yeates, K.O., Taylor, H.G., Walz., N.C., Stancin, T., & Wade, S.L. (2010). The family environment as a moderator of psychosocial outcomes following traumatic brain injury in young children. Neuropsychology, 24(3): 345-356. doi:10.1037/a0018387