Informant Discrepancies in the Assessment of Adaptive Behavior of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. 2024 - 2034
• Main Authors: Jordan, Allyson K., Thomeer, Marcus L., Lopata, Christopher, Donnelly, James P., Rodgers, Jonathan D., McDonald, Christin A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-05-2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adaptive behavior; Agreements; Autism; Autistic children; Behavior; Behavior Problems; Behavior rating scales; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior; Childhood behavioral assessment; Children; Clinical medicine; Cognitive ability; Difference scores; Discrepancies; Intellectual disabilities; Interpersonal Competence; Learning disabilities; Methods; Moderators; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Parents; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preadolescents; Psychological services; Psychology; Public Health; Ratings & rankings; Social adjustment; Social skills; Teacher Attitudes; Teachers; Testing; ASD; Informant discrepancies; Adaptive behavior
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-03876-z

This study examined informant discrepancies for parent and teacher adaptive behavior ratings of 103 children, ages 6–12 years, with ASD (without intellectual disability). Scores on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, third edition (Harrison and Oakland, Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, 2015) General Adaptive Composite (GAC) and practical, social, and conceptual domains were examined for mean differences, level of agreement, and moderators of difference scores between informant groups. Teacher scores were significantly higher (indicating better functioning) than parents for the GAC and practical domain. Parent and teacher scores were moderately correlated and Bland–Altman plots and regression analyses revealed no systematic differences in parent–teacher agreement across the range of scores. None of the tested variables moderated the parent–teacher difference scores. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.