Validating GO4KIDDS as a Brief Measure of Adaptive Skills in Special Education Settings for Children with Severe Intellectual Disability.

Background Adaptive skills measures tend to be lengthy. The GO4KIDDS (Great Outcomes for Kids Impacted by Severe Developmental Disabilities; Perry, Taheri, Ting and Weiss, 2015) Brief Adaptive Behaviour Scale was developed as a brief measure of adaptive skills. Our study aimed to examine the scale’s psychometric properties in a large sample of children in special education. Methods Teachers reported on 361 students with severe to profound intellectual disability (ID). A principal components analysis (PCA) examined the scale’s factor structure. Convergent validity was examined in relation to the Vineland (VABS-II; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005). Results The PCA indicated a single component measuring overall adaptive skills, which had excellent internal consistency (alpha=.93), and convergent validity (Pearson’s r= .81). Conclusions Teacher-reported scores on the GO4KIDDS Brief Behaviour Scale can provide a reliable and valid composite of adaptive skills in children with severe to profound ID.