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Psychometric validity and clinical usefulness of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale for an autistic sample

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Abstract

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 Adaptive 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TRE-ADD, Thistletown Regional Centre, 51 Panorama Court, M9V 4L8, Rexdale, Ontario, Canada

    Adrienne Perry & David C. Factor

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  1. Adrienne Perry
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  2. David C. Factor
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Additional information

The authors thank Dr. Jeff Sherman, Program Director, and all the families and staff in TREADD who helped make this study possible. We thank Dr. Richard Swinson and Richard Darjes for their help on the larger project which enabled us to carry out this study. This research, in part, was presented as a poster session at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, June 1986.

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Perry, A., Factor, D.C. Psychometric validity and clinical usefulness of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale for an autistic sample. J Autism Dev Disord 19, 41–55 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212717

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