ABAS-3 and the PAC-1 in the Study of Adaptive Behaviour of Children and Adolescents with Deeper Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The aim of the analysis was to determine the structure of the adaptive behaviour of people with deeper intellectual disability, as assessed with Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System (ABAS-3). It was also to establish the determinants of the disability with the use of other variables of the psychosocial functioning of these people. The predictors were defined for the so-called General Adaptive Composite (GAC), the ABAS-3 three adaptive domains and ten areas of individual adaptive skills, measured with ABAS-3. The analysis also addressed convergent validity of the tool. It was determined by exploring interrelations between ABAS-3 and PAC-1 Inventory. The r-Pearson test was applied, followed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. The study was conducted on a group of 140 children and young people with moderate and severe intellectual disability. The average age was 13.30 years, with SD=5.06 years. The GAC and ABAS-3 adaptive domains scores positively correlate with the individual areas in PAC-1, with the power of the correlation being greater in the group of assessments carried out by teachers than the analogical assessments carried out by parents. The regression models created for the parents’ group enable a conclusion that the higher the GAC score – including assessment of communication and practical knowledge skills, capability of  managing and completing tasks – the higher the growth in socialization, participation in play and domestic activities. On the other hand, in the models created for the group of teachers, the predictor for the GAC score, for the domain of conceptual skills and for the domain of social skills was the area of socialization. For the domain of practical skills, the predictor was the area of self-care.