ABAS 3 - Adaptive Behavior Assessment Systemâ„¢, Third Edition

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By Patti L. Harrison, PHD, and Thomas Oakland, PHD

Purpose: Provides a complete assessment of adaptive skills across the life span
Age: Parent and/or teacher rating scale for ages Birth through 21 years; adult self-report and other-report for ages 16 through 89
Admin: Individual
Time:
15 to 20 minutes

Qualification Level: 

The ABAS-3 combines all-new norms with updated item content to create the leading adaptive skills assessment.

Retaining all features that made the second edition the preferred instrument for evaluating adaptive behaviour, the ABAS-3 is even easier to administer and score. Comprehensive, convenient, and cost-effective, this behaviour rating scale measures daily living skills—what people actually do, or can do, without assistance from others. It is particularly useful for evaluating those with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, neuropsychological disorders, and sensory or physical impairments.

Multiple Raters, Different Perspectives

The ABAS-3 includes five rating forms, each for a specific age range and rater:

  •     Parent/Primary Caregiver Form (Ages 0–5)
  •     Teacher/Daycare Provider Form (Ages 2–5)
  •     Parent Form (Ages 5–21)
  •     Teacher Form (Ages 5–21)
  •     Adult Form (Ages 16–89)

Parents, family members, teachers, daycare staff, supervisors, counselors, or others who are familiar with the daily activities of the individual being evaluated can complete these forms. The Adult Form can even be administered as a self-reporting tool. The items may be read aloud to raters who have low sight or reading skills.

Although it’s possible to evaluate adaptive skills using only a single rater, gathering ratings from several people will provide a more complete assessment. Multiple ratings show how the individual performs in various settings. When different forms are used by different raters to evaluate an individual’s adaptive skills, a comparative report can be generated to show areas that warrant further attention.

Skills and Domains Consistent with AAIDD, DSM-5, IDEA, and RTI Guidelines

The ABAS-3 covers three broad adaptive domains: Conceptual, Social, and Practical. Within these domains, it assesses 11 adaptive skill areas (each form assesses 9 or 10 skill areas based on age range). Items focus on practical, everyday activities required to function, meet environmental demands, care for oneself, and interact with others effectively and independently. On a four-point response scale, raters indicate whether the individual can perform each activity, and if so, how frequently they perform it when needed.

The ABAS-3 is aligned with the AAIDD, DSM-5, and IDEA specifications, and works well within an RTI context. It generates norm-referenced scaled scores and test-age equivalents for the 11 skill areas. It also provides standard scores, confidence intervals, and percentile ranks for the three broad adaptive domains and the summary score—the General Adaptive Composite. Scores can also be categorised descriptively (Extremely Low, Low, Below Average, Average, Above Average, High).

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(image for) ABAS-3 Adult Online Kit

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(image for) ABAS-3 Infant and Preschool Online Kit

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(image for) ABAS-3 Infant and Preschool Print Kit

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(image for) ABAS-3 School Online Kit

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(image for) ABAS-3 School Print Kit

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ABAS-3 School Print Kit: Includes 25 Print Parent Forms; 25 Print Teacher Forms; Print Manual; Print Intervention Planner. Kit for ages 5 to 21. ...
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