Adaptive Behavior and the Psychologically Disturbed Child

Abstract

In this report, we discuss recent research and clinical issues relevant to the adaptive functioning of psychologically disturbed children. We focus upon the overall and specific adaptive behavior patterns of several types of emotional disorders, some diagnosed before, others after, the advent of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Disorders include Atypical Mild and Reactive conditions (pre-dating DSM-III) as well as the following DSM-III diagnostic categories: Anxiety Disorder, Atypical Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Infantile Autism. In general, results indicate that (1) the severity of adaptive behavior deficits tends to increase with the severity of the psychological disturbance; (2) the usual pattern for disturbed children relative to appropriate controls is highest deficits in both socialization and maladaptive areas of assessment; and (3) patterns of deficit in other major areas (i.e., Communication, Daily Living Skills) tend to be less predictable.