Comparison of Adaptive Functioning Measures in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Disability.
Leanne Tamm, Haley A Day, Amie Duncan
PMID 33900538WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with autism and average IQ scored significantly lower on the Vineland-3 than the ABAS-3.
The Vineland-3 identified more severe deficits in daily living skills, which were far below their cognitive abilities. Choose the measure based on whether you need to document impairment or plan intervention.
Key findings
01The Vineland-3 yielded scores up to 16 points lower than the ABAS-3 on almost all domains, suggesting it identifies more severe adaptive impairment.
02Adaptive functioning was significantly lower than expected given the adolescents' cognitive abilities, with the discrepancy being particularly large when measured by the Vineland-3.
03The ABAS-3 may be more useful for treatment planning due to its breadth of items developed for adolescence, while the Vineland-3 is better for documenting progress if previously used.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited from a clinical trial specifically targeting daily living skills, which may have selected for adolescents with particularly low scores in that domain. The two measures were administered differently (interview vs. rating form), which may explain the score discrepancies rather than true differences in ability. The sample lacked diversity in sex and ethnicity, limiting generalizability. Participants were all enrolled in high school, which may not represent adolescents who have dropped out or are in other settings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the ABAS-3 and Vineland-3 are interchangeable. The Vineland-3 identified significantly more severe deficits than the ABAS-3 in this sample, so switching measures could falsely suggest improvement or underestimate the need for support.