Skip to main content
  • 302 Accesses

Synonyms

Self-care; Self-help skills

Definition

Adaptive behavior can be defined in various ways, the simplest being that it is the performance of daily activities required for personal and social sufficiency [8]. Furthermore, it is how individuals are able to cope with common life demands and how well a person meets the standards of personal independence expected of someone in their particular age group, sociocultural background, and community setting. A persons adaptive functioning could be influenced by a variety of factors, including education, motivation, personality characteristics, social and vocational opportunities [2, p. 40]. For those that may have significant limitations in adaptive behavior, these barriers can easily impact their daily life and affect their ability to respond to a particular situation or to the environment [3].

Description

Adaptive behavior can be difficult to define because it is not independent of intelligence and the number of dimensions associated with...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 949.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Ainsworth, P., & Baker, P. (2004). Understanding mental retardation: A resource for parents, caregivers, and counselors. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi.

    Google Scholar 

  2. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  3. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. (2008). Frequently asked questions on intellectual disability and the AAIDD definition. Washington, DC: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Harrison, P., & Oakland, T. (2003). Adaptive behavior assessment system (2nd ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Kronenberger, W., & Meyer, R (Eds.). (2001). Mental retardation. In The child clinician’s handbook (2nd ed., pp. 438–453). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Pretzel, R., & Hiemenz, J. (2004). Assessment of young children: Standards, stages, and approaches. In S. R. Hooper & W. Umanskey (Eds.), Young children with special needs (pp. 122–147). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Sattler, J (Ed.). (2002). Assessment of adaptive behavior. In Assessment of children: Behavioral and clinical applications (4th ed., pp. 189–211). San Diego: Jerome M. Sattler Publisher.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Sparrow, S., Cicchetti, D., & Balla, D. (2005). Vineland adaptive behavior scales (2nd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: AGS.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Bullington, E.A. (2011). Adaptive Behavior. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_52

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_52

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

Publish with us

Policies and ethics