The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS-2) is a behavior rating scale that provides a comprehensive assessment of skills adaptation throughout life (Harrison and Oakland, 2000). Coping skills refer to behavior that allows a person to get along in their environment with the greatest success and the least amount of conflict with others; this can also be called “life skills” (South County Child and Family Consultants, 2018). For many years, the measurement of adaptive behaviors has been important to school psychologists and various mental health professionals interested in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of clients (Oakland & Daley, 2013). The ABAS-2 is typically completed by a parent, guardian, and/or teacher (Western Psychological Services, 2018). During the previous class presentation, the ABAS-2 was highlighted as an assessment that could be useful in diagnosing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, this assessment can also assess individuals with learning disabilities, motor disorders, speech and language disorders, hearing disorders, and neuropsychological disorders (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). The ABAS-2 was published by Harcourt Assessment, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas and was developed by Patti Harrison, PhD and Thomas Oakland, PhD (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). The second addition was published in 2000 (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Appropriate ages for this assessment are between birth and 89 years (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). Administration time averages approximately 15 to 20 minutes for each component and is translated into 11 languages ​​(Harrison & Oakland, 2000). This assessment requires the administrator to obtain Level C qualifications (Harrison and Oakland, 2000). Obtaining C-level qualifications means that the administrator must have previously earned a master's degree in psychology, school counseling, occupational therapy, speech pathology, social work, education, special education, or a related field (Western Psychological Services). This level of qualification also requires that those administering the assessment be specifically trained in how to provide instruction on the assessment and how to interpret the results (Western Psychological Services, 2018). The ABAS-2 measures adaptive, or daily living, skills across the lifespan and can help accomplish many tasks such as: assessing adaptive skills, classifying disabilities and disorders, showing strengths and weaknesses, track progress over time, develop treatment plans and training goals, determine eligibility for services, and assess ability to live or work independently (Western Psychological Services, 2018). For those following the clinical mental health counseling pathway, this assessment can be used in private practices, counseling centers, hospitals, and schools. Since anyone ages 0-89 is eligible to take this assessment, there are five different forms tailored to each age group (Harrison and Oakland). These forms and their corresponding age groups are administered as the Parent/Primary Caregiver Form (ages 0-5), Teacher/Daycare Provider Form (ages 2-5), Parent Form (ages 5-11) , of the teacher form (5 to 5 years). 21) and adult form (16-89 years) (Western Psychological Services, 2018). The form foradults is the only self-assessment option available for the ABAS-2; all other forms are completed by a teacher, guardian, or parent (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). Each of these forms can be used together to provide the client with an overall composite score (called a general adaptive composite score), but the client also has the option of completing one of the forms themselves (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). This assessment generates standard scores referenced for 10 skill areas within 3 overall domains (Occidental Psychological Services, 2018). The domains of this assessment cover conceptual, social, and practical areas of the client's life (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). The 10 skill areas of the ABAS-2 include more specific adaptive skill areas from each of these areas. These skill areas cover communication, community use, functional studies, home/school life, leisure, health and safety, self-care, independence, social activities and motor skills/work (Harrison and Oakland, 2000). On a 4-point response scale, raters indicate how often the individual performs each activity (Harrison & Oakland, 2000). Each of these forms can be scored on average in 5 to 10 minutes (Harrison and Oakland, 2000). There is also the option to score ABAS-2 forms on a computer, which provides specific steps for tracking progress and developing future programs (Western Psychological Services, 2018). A package of 25 forms for the ABAS-2 costs approximately $92 (Western Psychological Services, 2018). Certain types of validity and reliability are present in the ABAS-2. Some apparent forms of validity in this assessment are construct, convergent, and concurrent validity (Floyd et. al, 2015). Concurrent validity is the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure (Johnson, 2015). For example, if the ABAS-2 claims to measure adaptive behaviors, then it will measure those behaviors. Convergent validity is the degree of relationship between two measures that should be related (Johnson, 2015). For the ABAS-2, this type of validity is present between the different forms that can be completed for each participant. For example, the teacher form and the parent form will be linked as they should be. Finally, concurrent validity is the extent to which test results correspond to previously established measures of the same construct (Johnson, 2015). This means that the ABAS-2 correlates well with other assessments that also measure adaptive behaviors. The coefficient of concurrent validity in the ABAS-2 is approximately 0.8 (Rust & Wallace, 2004). For the reliability of the ABAS, there is evidence for internal consistency, test-retest, inter-rater reliability, and inter-form consistency (Floyd et. al, 2015). The coefficient for each of them is also approximately 0.8 (Rust & Wallace, 2004). A particularly excellent form of reliability in the ABAS-2 is the internal consistency reliability of domain scores (Floyd et. al, 2015). This coefficient is between 0.8 and 0.9 (Rust and Wallace, 2004). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Trial As for my overall review, I think I would use and/or recommend the ABAS-2 in the future if needed in my practice. The assessment serves its purpose and has high levels of validity and reliability. The ABAS-2 also targets a wide range of people and serves diverse populations. No two clients are the same, so it is helpful that this rating can be applied to anyone aged 0-89, those of both genders.