Development of a Social Adaptive Behavior Test for the Working Context in Young Adults with Mild Developmental or Intellectual Disabilities (303566)

Keywords: Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Adaptive Behavior, Criterion-Based Assessment, Item Bank Construction, Questionnaire Design

This study aims to create an assessment test for adults with mild Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DIDs) that helps to determine their social adaptive skills for the work context, and serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of person centered interventions, in educational and supported employment programs in Colombia. It is a criterion based test, designed from the basis of the Human Functioning and Social Adaptive Behavior constructs, which result essential for people to adjust and respond to work setting demands, even more for people with DIDs. The study has been divided in three phases: 1. Theoretical and professional`s experience-based definition of five social adaptive criterion areas (Self-determination, Emotional regulation, Social attribution, Norms following and Problem solving), in order to design a conceptual framework and support the methodological decisions in the test construction. 2. Item bank creation according to the Evidence Based Model, which permits to observe answers that could be considered as samples of social adaptive behavior in the face of work situations, and allow to classify the respondents according to three levels of adaptation and their support needs intensity (Low, Mid and High). 3. Pilot administration of the test to a sample of people with DIDs in several zones of Colombia, in order to obtain empirical data about item and test performance according to the conceptual framework, the item bank calibration with different test theories, and the definition of the test final form. The results show that is a significant challenge to assess a behavioral construct by means of a paper test, whereby the design of different types of items, tasks and multimedia support permits to recollect evidence in a highly diverse population such as this study's objective.