Unexpected changes of itinerary: adaptive functioning difficulties in daily transitions for adults with autism spectrum disorder

Adaptive functioning skills, also known as adaptive behaviours, refer to a multifaceted concept defined as behaviours necessary for age-appropriate, independent functioning in social, communication, daily living, or motor areas. In light of the growing population of children with ASD who will eventually become adults, increased understanding of adaptive functioning during the transition to adulthood is of importance, but current research in this area lacks first-hand evidence presenting adaptive skills difficulties among older adolescents and adults with ASD. This article focuses on adaptive functioning skills in daily transitions for adults with Asperger's syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA). It draws on evidence from twelve interviews with individuals on the autism spectrum age 16-43, and two focus groups with eight family members of people affected by ASD. Particular emphasis is placed on impact of adaptive functioning difficulties on wellbeing and quality of life for adults with ASD. Grounded theory approach has been used to analyse gathered data. Interviewees reflected on daily challenges associated with unexpected changes in routine, sensory difficulties and social interactions. These in turn had an impact on their adaptive functioning skills by introducing complications in the process of making transitions between different contexts and decreasing interviewees’ ability to tackle challenges of daily life. Importance placed on societal expectations towards meeting bespoken standards and conforming to norms ruling the structure and interactions of daily life were also widely discussed. Frequently such expectations did not allow for factoring in the developmental nature of ASD and related difficulties, which as a result triggered additional complexity in managing daily transitions for adults on the spectrum. Further research addressing adaptive functioning skills in daily transitions for adults with ASD is needed

Association between Adaptive Functioning & Intelligence in Children with Down syndrome

Authors: Jennifer N. Sexton, Ramirez, M., Phipps, C., Heller, A., Behm, L., Zatkalik, A., Nickolas, K., Maerlender, A., Phatak, V., Cramer, J., Blair, J., Murman, D., Warren, D. Deficits in intelligence and adaptive functioning are hallmark diagnostic features of Down syndrome, and as such, understanding the relationship between these two constructs is critical. A recent meta-analysis reported that the relationship between intelligence and the adaptive functioning among people with Down syndrome is moderate (Alexander & Reynolds, 2020), but correlations vary widely across study. In this project, we investigated the association between adaptive functioning and intelligence in a sample of children with Down Syndrome. Our sample included children with Down syndrome (N = 6; age: 8-13) recruited from the Eastern Nebraska region and tested at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Munroe Meyer Institute. Adaptive functioning was measured using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale – Parent Report. Intelligence was measured using the Kaufman Brief Intelligence (Kbit) Scale. Adaptive functioning was not significantly associated with intellectual abilities as measured by the Kbit when controlling for age, r(3) = .204, p = .742. However, the direction of the relationship between intellectual abilities and adaptive functioning (higher scores on a measure of intellectual ability with high adaptive functioning abilities) is consistent with previous literature (Alexander & Reynolds, 2020). Interestingly in this sample, performance on the kbit was negatively correlated with age, r(5) = -.828, p = .042. These results suggest that better adaptive functioning abilities may be associated higher intellectual abilities, but findings were non-significant in the current dataset. Outside the scope of this analysis, we expect that in the future, a larger sample will provide greater statistical power to test the association of adaptive functioning and intellectual abilities

School-based Yoga Intervention Programs Promoting Self-regulation And Adaptive Functioning Outcomes.pdf

Self-regulation deficits in childhood are related to difficulty focusing, aggressive behavior, and poor communication and coping skills. In contrast, strong self-regulation skills are associated with better adaptive functioning outcomes including stronger academic performance, social competence, and stress management, which may act as a protective factor for adverse outcomes in adulthood. A promising intervention to address self-regulatory deficits is school-based mindfulness and yoga programs. Mindful yoga practice can promote the ability to focus better, avoid fights, and calm down. With use of archival data, the present study aimed to analyze changes in student’s self-regulation and adaptive functioning outcomes post school-based yoga intervention. Adaptive functioning outcomes were measured by student reported benefits in the abilities to focus or pay attention better, avoid fights, and calm down when upset. The study explored whether student use of yoga at home influenced self-regulation changes. Results did not support positive changes overall in self-regulation after a school based yoga program or the influence of self-regulation change scores on adaptive functioning outcomes. Our study did support the influence of yoga at home and higher changes in self-regulation and self-reported benefits to adaptive functioning outcomes. Younger children were more likely to report greater benefits in adaptive functioning outcomes. No gender differences were found in self-regulation or adaptive functioning outcomes

Assessment of Clinical Information: Comparison of the Validity of a Structured Clinical Interview (the Scid) and the Clinical Diagnostic Interview

Adaptive functioning is a key aspect of psychiatric diagnosis and assessment in research and practice. This study compared adaptive functioning validity ratings from Structured Clinical Interviews (SCIDs, symptom-focused structured diagnostic interviews), and Clinical Diagnostic Interviews (CDIs, systematic diagnostic interviews modeling naturalistic clinical interactions focusing on relational narratives). Two hundred forty-five patients (interviewed by two independent interviewers) and their interviewers completed the Clinical Data Form which assesses adaptive functioning and clinical information. Both interviews converged strongly with patient-reports, with no significant differences in validity of the interviews in measuring global and specific domains of adaptive functioning variables. Findings suggest that CDIs provide adaptive functioning data comparable to SCIDs (often considered gold standard for assessment but difficult to use in practice) and have important implications for bridging the research-practice gap. By incorporating clinicians\u27 everyday methods, CDIs yield information that is psychometrically sound for empirical investigation, diagnostically practical, and clinically meaningful and valid

Risk-Taking Behaviors As Predicted By (Mal)Adaptive Functioning In College Students: A Look Into Emotional Adjustment

Risk-taking behaviors emerge, increase, and peak during adolescence and have shown to continue into late adolescence. Research has begun to explore how some forms of risk-taking may be normative and adaptive. The aim of this study is to look at how social, academic, and occupational functioning are related to risk-behaviors, as measured by risk-favorability and reported risk-taking history, and emotional adjustment in a college sample (N=314). Risk was assessed using self-report and an implicit task, both of which were moderately correlated. Both risk measures were negatively correlated with self-report measures of adaptive functioning and emotional adjustment.A series of mediation analyses were performed to evaluate whether risk-taking behaviors may mediate the relationship between emotional adjustment and adaptive functioning. Risk-taking and emotional adjustment measures were both negatively correlated with adaptive functioning outcomes; however, in each of the mediation analyses the association between risk-favorability and adaptive functioning was not statistically significant when accounting for emotional adjustment. These findings suggest that emotional adjustment may be a stronger predictor of poor adaptive functioning outcomes than risk-taking

Medical and Neuropsychological Predictors of Adaptive Functioning in Children with Epilepsy.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in children, with both seizures and their medical treatment associated with increased risk of neuropsychological impairments. Adaptive functioning in children with epilepsy is poorly understood. This study sought to identify the neuropsychological and medical predictors of optimal adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy. Forty-six children with epilepsy and 16 typically developing children and their parents participated in this study at two time points. Overall, adaptive functioning was found to be in the average to low average range in children with epilepsy. A composite measure assessing cumulative seizure history was able to significantly predict Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) scores. Whether a child had experienced one or more seizures in the last year was the only individual seizure and treatment variable able to significantly predict adaptive functioning as measured by the ABAS-II. Verbal learning, executive functioning, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems assessed at Time 1 predicted performance on the ABAS-II at Time 2. Verbal memory and attention, however, were not significant predictors of adaptive functioning. Consistent with what was hypothesized, executive functioning was found to mediate the relationship between seizure history and adaptive functioning when controlling for behavior problems at both Times 1 and 2. When behavior problems were the mediator and executive functioning was controlled for, mediation was not found. Executive functioning also mediated the relationship between group membership (monotherapy, polytherapy, and typically developing) and ABAS-II scores at Time 1, but not at Time 2 when a post-surgical group also was represented. Secondary analyses showed that the relationship between executive and adaptive functioning at Time 2 was moderated by whether or not a child had ever experienced seizures, such that children diagnosed with epilepsy evidenced greater correlations between these constructs than typically developing children. The results of this study suggest that a subset of children with epilepsy, those with active seizures and/or executive dysfunction, are at increased risk of adaptive deficits. These findings highlight the risk factors for suboptimal adaptive functioning in this population, and also suggest potential avenues for remediation

Evidence of validity and reliability of the adaptive functioning scale for intellectual disability (EFA-DI)

Intellectual disability (ID) is a developmental disorder characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) defines adaptive functioning as a severity measure of ID. The availability of tests in the international context to assess this construct has increased in recent years. In Brazil, however, non-systematic assessment of adaptive functioning, such as through observation and interviews, still predominates. The Escala de Funcionamento Adaptativo para Deficiência Intelectual EFA-DI [Adaptive Functioning Scale for Intellectual Disabilities] is a new instrument developed in Brazil to assess the adaptive functioning of 7- to 15-year-old children and support the diagnosis of ID. This study’s objectives were to investigate evidence of validity related to the EFA-DI’s internal structure, criterion validity, and reliability. The psychometric analyses involved two statistical modeling types, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory analysis (IRT). These results highlight the EFA-DI scale’s strong psychometric properties and support its use as a parental report measure of young children’s adaptive functioning. Future studies will be conducted to develop norms of interpretation for the EFA-DI. This study is expected to contribute to the fields of psychological assessment and child development in Brazil

Parental Distress, Parenting Practices, and Child Adaptive Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Moderate and severe pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with significant familial distress and child adaptive sequelae. Our aim was to examine the relationship between parental psychological distress, parenting practices (authoritarian, permissive, authoritative), and child adaptive functioning 12–36 months following TBI or orthopedic injury (OI). Injury type was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning, demonstrating a significantly stronger relationship in the TBI relative to OI group. Authoritarian parenting practices were hypothesized to mediate relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning across groups. Groups (TBI n=21, OI n=23) did not differ significantly on age at injury, time since injury, sex, race, or SES. Parents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, Parenting Practices Questionnaire, and Vineland-II. Moderation and mediation hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and a bootstrapping approach, respectively. Results supported moderation and revealed that higher parental psychological distress was associated with lower child adaptive functioning in the TBI group only. Mediation results indicated that higher parental distress was associated with authoritarian parenting practices and lower adaptive functioning across groups. Results suggest that parenting practices are an important area of focus for studies attempting to elucidate the relationship between parent and child functioning following TBI

Relationship of daily living measures and intelligence in autism spectrum disorder

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community onlyObjective: The aim of the current study is to assess the relationship between intelligence and adaptive functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: Participant mean age was 20.5 (SD = 2.0). Of the 20 participants, 16 were male, and 17 white, non-Hispanic/Latina/o/x. Participants were administered a full battery assessing cognitive ability (WAIS-IV and WIAT-III) and adaptive functioning (SIB-R). A multivariate lasso regression model was used followed up by univariate lasso regressions for significant results. Results: Intelligence was found to be significantly related to adaptive functioning. Specifically, the adaptive functioning subscale of social interaction and communication was significantly positively related to oral language and reading comprehension and fluency and had an interaction effect with verbal, perceptual, and working memory subscales of the WAIS-IV. Conclusion: The current study added to the literature confirming the relationship between intelligence and adaptive functioning in adults with ASD. The relationship between oral language and reading and comprehension skills with social interaction and communication was further influenced by scores in verbal ability, perceptual ability, and working memory. This finding will help inform intervention and successful transition plans for adults with ASD.Thesis (M.S.