Development and Standardization of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale: Application of Item Response Theory to the Assessment of Adaptive Behavior.

The Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS) was developed using item response theory (IRT) methods and was constructed to provide the most precise and valid adaptive behavior information at or near the cutoff point of making a decision regarding a diagnosis of intellectual disability. The DABS initial item pool consisted of 260 items. Using IRT modeling and a nationally representative standardization sample, the item set was reduced to 75 items that provide the most precise adaptive behavior information at the cutoff area determining the presence or not of significant adaptive behavior deficits across conceptual, social, and practical skills.

The diagnostic adaptive behavior scale: evaluating its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.

The Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS) was constructed with items across three domains--conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills--and normed on a representative sample of American individuals from 4 to 21 years of age. The DABS was developed to focus its assessment around the decision point for determining the presence or absence of significant limitations of adaptive behavior for the diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (ID). The purpose of this study, which was composed of 125 individuals with and 933 without an ID-related diagnosis, was to determine the ability of the DABS to correctly identify the individuals with and without ID (i.

The construct of adaptive behavior: its conceptualization, measurement, and use in the field of intellectual disability.

This article updates the current conceptualization, measurement, and use of the adaptive behavior construct. Major sections of the article address an understanding of the construct, the current approaches to its measurement, four assessment issues and challenges related to the use of adaptive behavior information for the diagnosis of intellectual disability, and two future issues regarding the relations of adaptive behavior to multidimensional models of personal competence and the distribution of adaptive behavior scores. An understanding of the construct of adaptive behavior and its measurement is critical to clinicians and practitioners in the field because of its role in understanding the phenomenon of intellectual disability, diagnosing a person with intellectual disability, providing a framework for person-referenced education and habilitation goals, and focusing on an essential dimension of human functioning.

Influences on parent perceptions of inclusive practices for their children with mental retardation.

Influences on parent perceptions regarding the practice of integrating students with significant cognitive disabilities into general education classrooms were examined. Findings confirmed that perceptions were significantly influenced by characteristics of the parent and the child as well as by factors associated with the child's placement history. Further, factors influencing these perceptions differed according to varying dimensions of inclusion being considered.

Measuring problem behaviors in children with mental retardation: dimensions and predictors.

Scores from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991a) and the Client Development Evaluation Report (CDER; California Department of Developmental Services, 1980) for 67 children and adolescents with mental retardation were examined to evaluate the factorial validity of the instruments. Four factor analyses were conducted. The initial factor analysis of CBCL data failed to confirm the presence of the five first-order factors previously reported for the CBCL standardization sample (Achenbach, 1991b).

Epidemiology and prevalence of psychopathology in people with mental retardation.

There is a general consensus that, for several reasons, people with mental retardation are at an increased risk of developing emotional disorders. Numerous research studies have examined the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people with mental retardation, and a wide range of rates have been reported. Reasons for the variability in these results are discussed, including definitional and identification issues, and sampling issues.

Construct validity of dimensions of adaptive behavior: a multitrait-multimethod evaluation.

The construct validity of four dimensions of adaptive and maladaptive behavior was investigated using the multitrait-multimethod matrix procedure of Campbell and Fiske (1959). Measures of four traits--cognitive competence, social competence, social maladaption, and personal maladaption--were obtained on a sample of 157 persons with moderate, severe, or profound mental retardation using each of three methods of measurement--standardized assessment instrument, day shift staff ratings, and evening shift staff ratings. Applying the Campbell and Fiske rules of thumb and recently proposed structural equation modeling techniques to the data demonstrated strong convergent validity, clear discriminant validity, and only moderate levels of method variance in the observed measures.

The association between psychiatric diagnoses and severe behavior problems in mental retardation.

To investigate the relationship between psychiatric disorders and severe behavior problems in mental retardation, statewide client databases from developmental disabilities services in California (N = 89,419) and New York (N = 45,683) were analyzed and juxtaposed. The study focussed on nine major DSM-III-R psychiatric categories (or their equivalents), and severe forms of aggressive behavior, property destruction, self-injurious behavior, and stereotyped behavior in individuals 45 years old and younger with mental retardation of all levels of severity. In California, 3.

Validation of the parenting style survey for parents of children with mental retardation.

A validation study was performed in order to assess the content, construct, and criterion-related validities of the Parenting Style Survey, an instrument assessing parental behavior in families with a child who has mental retardation. Subjects were the primary careproviders of 29 individuals with moderate mental retardation. Data corroborating the validity of the Parenting Style Survey were derived from home visits, individuals experienced in developmental psychology, careproviders for individuals with mental retardation, and the Family Environment Scale (Moos, 1974).

Who are the dually diagnosed?

The evaluation of mental health problems among persons with mental retardation is complicated by difficulties in diagnosis as well as by system variables that may also determine who will be assigned a dual diagnosis. In this study a state data base of 78,603 individuals with mental retardation receiving state services was examined. The relations of observed behavior problems, other characteristics of the individual, and residential placement patterns to the likelihood of being given a dual diagnosis were examined.

Prediction of mortality in community and institutional settings.

This study attempted to re-evaluate predictors of mortality based on a large sample of mentally retarded individuals. Additionally, mortality rates were compared among several types of placements including institutions after controlling for the most salient predictors of death. The findings indicated that non-mobility and the need for medical support add to the risk of an early death for these children, and are significant indicators of mortality, regardless of level of retardation and placement.

Client characteristics and residential placement patterns.

Recent emphases on deinstitutionalization and community placement have been accompanied by the development of a range of residential placement alternatives and by shifts in the control of placement decisions. In this study we examined the patterns of placement into these alternatives for 66,367 clients receiving services for mentally retarded persons from the state of California and evaluated the ability of client characteristics to discriminate among clients in four residential placement types. Results of the discriminant analyses suggest that client characteristics, including maladaptive behavior, age, ethnicity, medical problems, ambulation, toileting, and speech, are important factors in the consideration of residential placement for mentally retarded people.