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 standardization of the DABS is described and discussed.

Handheld Devices and Video Modeling to Enhance the Learning of Self-Help Skills in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The viewing of videos is a much-studied intervention to teach self-help, social, and vocational skills. Many of the studies to date looked at video modeling using televisions, computers, and other large screens. This study looked at the use of video modeling on portable handheld devices to teach hand washing to three adolescent students with an autism spectrum disorder. Three students participated in this 4-week study conducted by occupational therapists. Baseline data were obtained for the first student for 1 week, the second for 2 weeks, and the third for 3 weeks; videos were introduced when the participants each finished the baseline phase. Given the cognitive and motor needs of the participants, the occupational therapist set the player so that the participants only had to press the play button to start the video playing. The participants were able to hold the players and view at distances that were most appropriate for their individual needs and preferences. The results suggest that video modeling on a handheld device improves the acquisition of self-help 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.e., sensitivity and specificity). The results indicate that the DABS sensitivity coefficients ranged from 81% to 98%, specificity coefficients ranged from 89% to 91%, and that the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve were excellent or good. These results indicate that the DABS has very good levels of diagnostic efficiency.

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.

The association for behavior analysis international position statement on restraint and seclusion.

A task force authorized by the Executive Council of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) generated the statement below concerning the techniques called restraint and seclusion. Members of the task force independently reviewed the scientific literature concerning restraint and seclusion and agreed unanimously to the content of the statement. The Executive Council accepted the statement, and it was subsequently approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership. It now constitutes official ABAI policy. The position statement is posted on the ABAI Web site (www.abainternational.org/ABA/statements/RestraintSeclusion.asp). The purpose of the position statement is to provide guidance to behavior analysts and other professionals interested in the position of ABAI on these controversial topics. In extreme cases, abuses of procedures erroneously used in the name of behavior analysis are not defensible. On the other hand, behavior analysts acting ethically and in good faith are provided with guidelines for sound and acceptably safe practice. To the extent that behavior-analytic positions influence public policy and law, this statement can be presented to officials and lawmakers to guide informed decision making. At the conclusion of the document, a bibliography is provided of articles and presentations considered by one or more task force members in developing the position statement.

A cost-benefit analysis of community and institutional placements for persons with mental retardation in Oklahoma.

Matched samples of 174 pairs of persons with mental retardation who live in either community settings or congregate care settings were compared on both cost and outcome dimensions. It was learned that costs were significantly lower in community programs. Greater levels of service and integration were evident in the community programs, but institutional programs offered vocational opportunities for more individuals. Although we were able to predict with accuracy who lived in community and institutional settings, we were unable to predict costs.

Statewide longitudinal survey of psychotropic medication use for persons with mental retardation: 1994 to 2000.

The use of psychotropic medication with persons who have mental retardation was surveyed. Data were collected on a large sample of Oklahomans in both 1994 and 2000. Analysis revealed that the use of antidepressant medication increased dramatically over the course of the study, apparently as a function of increased use of SSRI medications. Antipsychotic medication did not change dramatically, but a shift to the newer atypical antipsychotic medications was noted. In a separate analysis of persons who moved from an institutional setting to a community-based setting, evidence suggested an increased use of psychotropic medication.

The Hissom closure outcomes study: a report on six years of movement to supported living.

Changes in quality of life observed in 254 people with developmental disabilities who moved from a large state institution to supported living settings as a result of a court ordered closure of Hissom Memorial Center in Oklahoma were reported. Using pre-post measures on a multitude of qualities of life, we measured significant improvements between 1990 and 1995 in class members' adaptive and challenging behaviors, participation in employment, number of hours of developmentally oriented services, opportunities for integration, frequency of contact with relatives, and use of antipsychotic medications. We noted concern regarding health care, where there was a need for easier access to health professionals in community settings.

The impact of deinstitutionalization on family contact.

Indices of family contact were reviewed across four cohorts of persons with mental retardation who were transferred from a large public institution to small supported living arrangements. In this longitudinal study, it was found that family contact increased subsequent to community placement, and that these increased levels of contact were maintained for as long as 4 years.