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Adaptive skills are essential for a child to master in order to be a successful adult. Adaptive skills are defined as practical, everyday skills needed to function and meet the demands of one’s environment, including the skills necessary to effectively and independently take care of oneself and to interact with other people. Adaptive skills are essential to be an independent adult. Children with poor executive functioning issues, ADHD, autism, intellectual delay, and other issues often need direct instruction in adaptive skills.
Adaptive behavior refers to the domains and skills that people need to function independently at home, at school, and in the community.
Adaptive behavior skills include:
• Communication: Interacting with others, using expressive and receptive language, writing, and listening, etc.
• Self-Care: Eating, dressing, hygiene, toileting, grooming, etc.
• Home Living: Caring for clothes, housekeeping, performing property maintenance, preparing food, cooking, budgeting, etc.
• Social: Getting along with others, being aware of other people’s feelings, forming relationships.
• Motor: Fine motor, gross motor, sensory motor, etc.
• Practical Academics: Literacy and numeracy, etc.
• Community: Accessing the community, transportation, shopping, safety, medical, etc.
The adaptive behavior assessment helps identify specific skills that are strengths, as well as, areas of need to be taught to the student. Acquisition of adaptive behavior skills can impact a person’s daily life, level of independence and affect his or her ability to respond to particular situations or to the environment throughout their lives. Adaptive behavior skills are as important to a student’s success as are academic skills.
Informal Summary of Adaptive Behavior Skills
Informal Summary of Adaptive Behavior Skills
Informal Summary of Adaptive Behavior Skills
Student: Date:
The form was completed by (i.e, # of teachers, para, parent)
Information Compiled by:
This informal summary provides an open-ended format for school staff and caregivers to describe a student’s strengths and challenges in seven areas of adaptive functioning. These included: daily living skills, social and interpersonal skills, communication skills, academic skills, recreation and leisure skills, community participation, and work/work related skills. A task or skill that is considered mastered should be consistent over time, inner-directed, and independently performed. Raters circled an estimate of the level of impact for each area according to the following guidelines:
No impact: infrequent or no support required
Mild impact: intermittent or periodic support and supervision required
Moderate impact: limited, but consistent support and supervision required
Severe Impact: frequent or close support and supervision required
Extreme Impact: highly intense and continuous levels of support and supervision required
Daily living/independent living skills:
Social and interpersonal skills:
Communication skills:
Academic skills:
Recreation and leisure skills:
Community participation:
Work and work-related skills:
Additional Comments:
Click HERE to access an Adaptive Behavior Functional Checklist.
Informal Summary of Adaptive Behavior Skills.pdfReport abuse