The AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale Norm Referenced for Deaf-Blind Individuals: Application and Implication

Part One of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale was completed for 77 deaf-blind individuals between the ages of 3 and 21 years. The completed Scales were grouped by age into five categories. Domain and Item means and standard deviations were computed for the total group and for the five age groups. Norm-referenced tables, based on age, were constructed along the format displayed in the 1975 version of the AAMD ABS Manual. Individual Items means were analyzed to discern Item effect on Domain Scores. Results indicated that the ABS does identify multi-dimensional aspects of the daily behaviors exhibited by a deaf-blind population. The large disparity found between Domain Scores of the deaf-blind sample and the AAMD normative sample, however, disallows a valid comparative interpretation for this population. The utility of the ABS was shown to be greatly enhanced when norm-reference, age functioning levels were computed for this multihandicapped population. Further implications for use of the ABS are discussed.