Adaptive behavior

Adaptive behavior refers to the age-appropriate behaviors that people typically demonstrate in their daily lives. These behaviors are necessary for individuals to fully participate and function in their personal and social lives. Adaptive behavior encompasses the age-appropriate behaviors, skills, and abilities that people generally need to live independently and to function safely and appropriately in daily life.

Definition

Adaptive behavior is the collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that are learned and performed by people in their everyday lives. These skills include those that help people to function in their personal lives, interact with others, and take care of themselves.

Components of Adaptive Behavior

Adaptive behavior consists of three main components:

• Conceptual skills: These include language and literacy; money, time, and number concepts; and self-direction.
• Social skills: These involve interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naivety (i.e., wariness), social problem solving, and the ability to follow rules/obey laws and to avoid being victimized.
• Practical skills: These encompass activities of daily living (personal care), occupational skills, healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of money, use of the telephone.

Assessment

Assessment of adaptive behavior is commonly performed in diagnostic evaluations of mental health and education. It is a required component of intellectual disability diagnosis, according to both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).

See Also

• Behavior
• Behavioral Sciences
• Mental Health
• Psychology