Psychometric validity and clinical usefulness of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale for an autistic sample.
Two prominent assessment measures of adaptive behavior were compared and evaluated in terms of their psychometric properties and their clinical usefulness for autistic children and adolescents. The AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition (Lambert & Windmiller, 1981) and the Vineland Adapative Behavior Scales (Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984) were compared in 15 autistic persons aged 8 to 18. Correlations between the two instruments revealed good concurrent validity. The psychometric properties of the tests were similar to those found in samples of mentally retarded persons. The use of adaptive behavior measures for autistic children and adolescents is encouraged. Clinical advantages and disadvantages of the two tests are discussed.
Perry
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TRE-ADD, Thistletown Regional Centre, Rexdale, Ontario.
Factor
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D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics