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Review of ABAS-II Standardized Test

Adaptive behavior assessment system-2nd edition [ABAS-II] offers an extensive, norm-referenced assessment of adaptive skills for persons between the ages of birth and eighty-nine years-old. Following Harrison & Oakland, (2003) the purpose of this test includes assessment of a person’s adaptive skills for disorders and disabilities diagnosis besides classification, strengths and limitations identification, as well as monitoring and documentation of a person’s progress over time. It is commonly applied in the evaluation of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

ABAS-II is an appropriate behavior rating scale that measures an individual's daily living skills, in particular, what the individual does and what the individual can do, devoid of any others assistance (Harrison & Oakland, 2003). The benefits of the ABAS-II test is that it provides across the lifespan a thorough adaptive skills assessment. It is predominantly beneficial in assessing individuals with intellectual disability, dementia, sensory/physical impairments, pervasive developmental disorders, biological risk factors, and neuropsychological problems.

Test Items and Format

ABAS-II test is administered to an individual for a period of between fifteen and twenty minutes. The format of the test is behavior rating scale characteristically accomplished for the case of children by a parent, caregiver, and teacher; for adults, there is an option of self-rating (Kenworthy, Case, Harms, Martin, & Wallace, 2010). The scores for the ten skill areas are test-age equivalents and norm-referenced scaled scores. Likewise, scores for the general adaptive composite [GAC] and the three adaptive domains are aged-based percentile ranks and norm-referenced standard scores. Furthermore, the entire scores can be classified descriptively. The test is translated into various languages that include French, Canadian, Czech, German, Danish, Swedish, Mandarin, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian.

ABAS-II is available in various five rating forms or kits that include parent and primary caregiver form for infant and preschool for ages zero to five as; teacher and daycare provider form for ages between two and five (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). Likewise, parent and teacher forms for ages five to twenty-one parent; and adult forms ages sixteen to eighty-nine adult forms. There is also an ABAS-II unlimited-use scoring assistant and intervention planner CD, and unlimited-use scoring assistant CD (Aricak & Oakland, 2010). The forms can be completed by teachers, family members, parents, daycare staff, counselors, supervisors, and any other individuals who are acquainted with the daily activities of the person being evaluated.

ABAS-II is compatible with particular education state and federal classification systems. It embraces three broad domains that it uses to assess the DSM-IV-TR ten specified adaptive skills, also the scores that it generates are consistent with the intellectual disability definition of AAIDD. ABAS-II items are focused on everyday practical activities that are needed to function, achieve environmental demands, caring for oneself, as well as interacting with others independently and effectively (Aricak & Oakland, 2010). Through the use of a four-point response scale, an individual’s performance can be rated on whether and how often each activity is successfully completed.

The conceptual domain of ABAS-II assesses skill areas that include self-direction, communication, and functional academics such as if the infant sits down silently for about one minute without demanding an adult's attention, hums the alphabet song, and communicates in six or more sentences words (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). The social domain assesses skill areas that include leisure and social such as the school-aged child or adult laughing in response to jokes or funny comments, and for the case of an infant smiling when s/he sees a parent. The functional domain assesses skill areas that include health and safety, work or motor for infant, community use, self-care, and school/home living, for instance, an adult using a public restroom alone and an infant holding and drinking from a sipping cup.

As specified by DSM-IV-TR and AAIDD guidelines, the ten skill areas norm-referenced standard scores of ABA-II are in line with these specifications. The General adaptive score [GAS] is also generated as the total score (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). Furthermore, composite and domain scores can be denoted as an age-based percentile rank, while skill area scores can be represented as test-age equivalents (Aricak & Oakland, 2010). Moreover, all scores can be classified descriptively as extremely low, borderline, below average, average, above average, superior, as well as very superior. ABAS-II measures norms are founded on ratings of more than seven-thousand persons in thirty-one age groups and are stratified by race/ethnicity, education level, and sex (Kenworthy, Case, Harms, Martin, & Wallace, 2010).

Likewise, the ratings can be gathered from several individuals to provide a complete assessment with multiple ratings exhibiting the individual’s performance in various settings. Thus, its validity and reliability are commendable. Burns (2005) points out that ABAS-II skill area scores ought to be interpreted thoughtfully. The ABAS-II supports current norms that reflect the ethnic or racial United States population, consistent with the DSM-IV-TR, AMMR, and AAIDD criteria. Likewise, it is theoretically and psychometrically sound.

Fair and Appropriate Materials

The convergent and divergent validity, as well as the content of ABAS-II powerfully supports its use. As defined by the DSM-V and AAMR diagnostic criteria, ABAS_II indeed is a comprehensive adaptive skill assessment test (Aricak & Oakland, 2010). Even though reliability data and factor analysis suggest that GAC score is the excellent demonstration of an individual's adaptive skills, evidence collected from the ten adaptive skills areas can be utilized to target particular areas in which the individual being evaluated may require intervention (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). ABAS-II documents sound test-retest reliability coefficient, frequently in the 0.90s for the measure as a whole. Irrespective of the setting, the individual's age, and the limitations of the individual, ABAS-II support adaptive skills assessment, strengths, and weakness identification, monitoring the progress over time, treatment plans and training goals development. Similarly, disabilities and disorders classification and diagnosis, social security disability and eligibility for service benefits determination(Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018), and evaluation of the individual’s capability to work or live independently.

ABAS-II displays four categories of reliability that include test-retest and inert-rater reliability, as well as cross-form and internal consistency. On the other hand, validity is demonstrated through, response process, internal structure, age group differences, testing consequences, clinical validity, test content, and internal consistency (Kenworthy, Case, Harms, Martin, & Wallace, 2010). The ABAS-II has some terminology that is offensive to the persons with disabilities. ABAS-II is classified as a B-level qualification thus one has to fit into the following categories be competent and licensed by a credible institution in relevant assessment area, be a member of an occupational therapy association or speech-language-hearing association; have a doctorate in either education, psychology, or relevant field with assessment training.

Use of Technology

Whereas the test can be hand-scored in just five to ten minutes, scoring utilizing computer software has been incorporated to quicken as well as delivery of various advantages. The scoring CD assistant provides composite score discrepancies and analyses of skill area strengths; composite score and skill area profiles; as well as raw scores conversion to standard scores (Burns, 2005). Furthermore, the scoring assistant and intervention planner CD, which is an enhanced version of the program, facilitates narrative interpretation generation based on all scores, needs and strengths analysis, analysis of composite score discrepancy, as well as adaptive behavior overall summary; ages zero to twenty-one progress-monitoring and respondent reports, and item-level interventions (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). As a consequence, appropriate treatment options in addition to progress monitoring identification has been simplified and have an unlimited application.

Synthesis of Findings

ABAS-II has various strengths that include conformity with IDEA, AAIDD and DSM-V-TR diagnosis criteria, which makes one confident in its use. The test is also multipurpose, thus allows data collection from various respondents in diverse settings in order to obtain an all-inclusive image of the functional skills of the individual being evaluated. The test is also developed from a sound empirical methodology and theory, as well as having essential validity data (Kenworthy, Case, Harms, Martin, & Wallace, 2010). Besides, ABAS-II provides broader infants, children, and youth coverage. It has a computer scoring system that makes it easier and faster to obtain score profiles (Price, Moris, & Costello, 2018). Likewise, it does not necessitate a teacher or parent interview, and adaptive skills can provide significant information to a comprehensive assessment. Furthermore, the test can support in validly evaluating individuals with different disorder and disabilities.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Adaptive behavior assessment system-2nd edition [ABAS-II] offers a comprehensive, norm-referenced assessment of adaptive skills for persons between the ages of birth and eighty-nine years-old. The test is also multipurpose, thus allows data collection from various respondents in diverse settings in order to obtain an all-inclusive image of the functional skills of the individual being evaluated. The test is also developed from a sound empirical methodology and theory, as well as having essential validity data. However, to make it sounder, I recommend that, since the test has some terminology that is offensive to the persons with disabilities, thus should be revised. Likewise, I emphatically do recommend that the theory and definition of adaptive behavior be revised as well as augmented evaluation be encouraged to ascertain that the issue of considering adaptive behavior through a single cultural lens is addressed.

References

Aricak O.T., & Oakland T. (2010). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis for the teacher form, ages 5 to 21, of the adaptive behavior assessment system-II. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 28:578–584. doi:10.1177/0734282909350209.

Burns M. K. (2005). Review of Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition. In R. A. Spies & B. S. Plake (Eds.), The sixteenth mental measurements yearbook. [Electronic version]. Lincoln, NE. Buros Center for Testing.

Harrison, P.L., & Oakland, T. (2003). Adaptive Behavior Assessment – Second Edition Manual (ABAS ­ II). San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment.