Adaptive behavior and its importance of assessment in clinical practice

Czech version

Authors: Hapčová Margaréta ¹; Malík Barbora ¹; Demkaninová Diana ¹; Celušáková Hana ¹; Belica Ivan ^2,3
Authors‘ workplace: Katedra psychológie, Filozofická fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava, Slovensko ¹; Akademické centrum výskumu autizmu, Fyziologický ústav, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava, Slovensko ²; Výskumný ústav detskej psychológie a patopsychológie, Bratislava, Slovensko ³
Published in: Čes. a slov. Psychiat., 121, 2025, No. 1, pp. 7-14.
Category: Review
doi: https://doi.org/10.48095/cccsp202501

Overview

The aim of this paper is to introduce the importance of assessing adaptive behavior in the context of the changes in the new International Classification of Diseases, 11^th Revision. Adaptive behavior is a collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that individuals learn and use in their daily lives, enabling them to function independently within society. It constitutes age-appropriate conduct, delineated by the expectations of the individual‘s environment, and is amenable to modification throughout life. The ICD-11 has included adaptive behavior among core criteria for diagnosing intellectual disability, as in DSM-5. The assessment of adaptive behavior, conducted through standardized methods, carries equivalent weight to intelligence test results, reflecting a contemporary approach in assessment and intervention planning. Its evaluation is also integral to assessing other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders or ADHD, aiding in determining the level of functionality. It also holds significance in neurodegenerative and genetic disorders affecting CNS function. However, the practical challenge remains in assessing it due to the lack of standardized methods for our population for objective evaluation. ICD-11 offers behavioral indicators characteristic of various degrees of intellectual disability across different age groups.

Keywords:

adaptive behavior – autism spectrum disorders – ICD-11– intellectual disabilities –neurodevelopmental disorders

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Mgr. Margaréta Hapčová, PhD.

Katedra psychológie

Filozofická fakulta

Univerzita Komenského

Gondova ulica 2

811 02 Bratislava

Slovensko

e-mail: margareta.hapcova@uniba.sk