Adaptive Functioning in School: A Multidimensional Questionnaire for Assessing Functional Challenges Beyond Symptoms...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Adaptive functioning in school is crucial for students with ADHD, yet remains understudied.
• Existing assessment tools often lack a multidimensional, school-contextualized approach.
• There is a need for a comprehensive measure to identify specific adaptive challenges in the school setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Adaptive Functioning in School Questionnaire (AFSQ), a teacher-reported measure.
• To assess adaptive functioning across five key domains relevant to the school environment.
• To differentiate adaptive functioning challenges in students with ADHD compared to neurotypical peers.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of the AFSQ using teacher reports from 564 students with ADHD and 93 community peers.
• Factor analyses to confirm the AFSQ's five-factor structure.
• Convergent validity assessed through correlations with executive function and social skills measures.

Main Results:

• The AFSQ demonstrated a robust five-factor structure and strong reliability (α =.83-.96).
• Students with ADHD showed significantly greater adaptive challenges across all five domains (d =.82-1.34).
• Inattention broadly impacted adaptive functioning, while comorbid Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) specifically worsened social-behavioral and emotional challenges.

Conclusions:

• The AFSQ is a reliable and valid tool for educators and clinicians to assess school-specific adaptive functioning in students.
• It aids in identifying individualized support needs for students with ADHD.
• Findings highlight the need for tailored interventions addressing comorbid conditions like ODD in ADHD.