Adaptive or Learned Behaviors

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Adaptive behaviors reflect our social/practical competence to meet the demands of daily life. We learn skills to function from infancy to old age—at home, in school, in the community. Some people, like those with autism, have mental, developmental, and traumatic issues that interrupt natural skill acquisition. In standardized tests, a score below 97.5% indicates maladaptive functioning (some may score high and still meet criteria for intellectual disability). Categories of skills:

• Social: Communicating/interacting, social responsibility, problem-solving, self-esteem

• Independent living: Shopping, budgeting, cleaning, using money
• Personal care: Eating, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene
• Employment/work: Following directions, completing tasks, getting to work on time
• Practical academics: Reading, computation, telling time