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. 2023 Aug;53(8):3077-3091.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05602-2. Epub 2022 May 17.

What is the concordance between parent- and education professional-reported adaptive functioning in autistic children using the VABS-II?

Heather L Moore  1 , Ann Le Couteur  2 , Tony Charman  3 , Jonathan Green  4   5 , Jeremy R Parr  2   6 , Victoria Grahame  6
Affiliations

What is the concordance between parent- and education professional-reported adaptive functioning in autistic children using the VABS-II?

Heather L Moore et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Adaptive functioning of autistic children is traditionally measured through informant-report, often from parents. Behaviour varies across settings though, and context-specific reports should be considered. Limited and inconsistent results show low parent-education professional concordance, but no research has yet explored item level response variation. We investigated Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales-II concordance using 233 lower ability autistic children from the PACT-G sample. Domain and item level agreement was low, but better on objectively measured behaviours. Higher child nonverbal ability improved concordance. Where disagreements occurred, education professionals identified emergent skills more and parents were more likely to rate present/absent. Parents and education professionals view the adaptive abilities of autistic children differently and both should be considered when developing personalised interventions and support.

Keywords: Adaptive functioning; Autism; Concordance; Education Professional-/Teacher-Report; Parent-report.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Parent and teacher VABS-II domain scores
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Bland-Altman plots to investigate systematic differences in parent and education professional reporting across the range of scores for VABS-II ABC and domains. Note: The solid line represents the mean difference score, dotted lines above and below the mean score line represent 95% CIs, and dashed lines represent regression lines
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