Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) is a developmental disorder characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) defines adaptive functioning as a severity measure of ID. The availability of tests in the international context to assess this construct has increased in recent years. In Brazil, however, non-systematic assessment of adaptive functioning, such as through observation and interviews, still predominates. The Escala de Funcionamento Adaptativo para Deficiência Intelectual EFA-DI [Adaptive Functioning Scale for Intellectual Disabilities] is a new instrument developed in Brazil to assess the adaptive functioning of 7- to 15-year-old children and support the diagnosis of ID. This study’s objectives were to investigate evidence of validity related to the EFA-DI’s internal structure, criterion validity, and reliability. The psychometric analyses involved two statistical modeling types, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory analysis (IRT). These results highlight the EFA-DI scale’s strong psychometric properties and support its use as a parental report measure of young children’s adaptive functioning. Future studies will be conducted to develop norms of interpretation for the EFA-DI. This study is expected to contribute to the fields of psychological assessment and child development in Brazil.
Highlights
Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by deficits in cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problemsolving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and experiential learning (American Psychiatric Association [American Psychological Association (APA)], 2013)
Deficits are recognized during childhood or adolescence (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education [AERA, APA, & NCME], 2014)
confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated the unidimensionality of the model and of each Escala de Funcionamento Adaptativo para Deficiência Intelectual (EFA-DI)’s domains, considering an overall factor of second-order adaptive functioning with satisfactory fit indexes
Summary
Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by deficits in cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problemsolving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and experiential learning (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). These deficits compromise adaptive functioning: individuals face difficulties adapting independent living and bearing social responsibility in one or more aspects of daily life, including communication, social participation, academic or professional performance, and being independent at home or within the community (AAID D User's Guide Work Group, 2012; APA, 2013). It is a stigmatizing condition, causing a significant impact on an individual’s
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