title: Equivalence reliability of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale between in-person and telephone administration.
abstract: There is a critical need to establish cost effective ways to monitor developmental progress of children at risk for developmental disabilities. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS) is a well-known functional measure used for both clinical and research purposes. The objective of this study was to examine the equivalence reliability of the VABS using two different administration methods; in-person versus telephone interviews. Fifty children with or at-risk for developmental disability were tested (mean age of 77.5 +/- 18.5 months) using both interview formats. Correlations between in-person and telephone interview scores were extremely high for all subdomains including Communication (ICC = 0.99), Daily Living Skills (ICC = 0.98), Socialization (ICC = 0.96), Motor (ICC = 0.98) as well as the Adaptive Behavior Composite score (ICC = 0.99). The ability to collect reliable information on a child's developmental progress using a telephone interview format is critical, given current service delivery constraints.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Limperopoulos
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majnemer
authors.forename: C Lisa
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Steinbach
authors.forename: Michael I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Shevell
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013689:Telephone