Adaptive Functioning

History of Adaptive Functioning

The construct of adaptive functioning has its roots in the history of defining intellectual disabilities (formerly referred to as mental retardation). In the early 20th century, Edgar Doll noted that ability assessments of individuals with mental retardation were incomplete without valid estimates of their adaptive functioning. Specifically, Doll noted that the primary focus should be on individuals’ capacity for maintaining themselves and their affairs.

Doll contributed many ideas to the construct of adaptive behavior, including a focus on personal independence and social responsibility. He also highlighted the paramount concept that adaptive behavior is developmental in nature, emphasizing the notion that what is considered to be socially sufficient behavior depends on the age of the person. In 1936, Doll introduced the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, which measured performance of everyday activities and became the primary measure used to assess adaptive behavior and social competence for several decades.

In 1959, the American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD, now known as the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, or AAIDD), published its first official manual and formally included adaptive behavior, as well as subaverage intelligence, as an integral part of the definition of mental retardation. This manual highlighted two major components of adaptive functioning: first, the degree to which individuals can function and maintain themselves independently and, second, the degree to which individuals satisfactorily meet the culturally imposed demands of personal and social responsibility.

The AAIDD continues to emphasize that cultural, linguistic, communication, and behavioral factors are all important components of a person’s adaptive skills. Specifically, it is important to consider the requirements for an individual’s particular environment, the developmental expectations of a given age group, and the person’s culture and linguistic characteristics when assessing adaptive functioning.

Domains of Adaptive Functioning

[Page 33]The essence of adaptive functioning focuses on the development and application of abilities required for the attainment of social sufficiency and personal independence. However, there has been extensive debate about the theoretical construct of adaptive functioning and what specific domains are being measured or assessed. Research using factor analytic work has consistently documented three domains of adaptive functioning: practical skills, conceptual skills, and social skills. These domains have been incorporated into the most recent edition (2010) of the AAIDD classification manual and have been operationally defined as

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