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Sensitivity and Specificity of the EFA Adaptive Functioning Scale for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual
Thais Selau1, Mônia Aparecida da Silva2, Matheus Silva Prenassi2
1Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, 90.035-003, Brazil. thaisselau@hotmail.com.
The Brazilian Adaptive Functioning Scale (EFA) effectively screens for adaptive functioning difficulties in children and adolescents with Intellectual Disability (ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It demonstrates excellent discriminatory capacity across social, practical, and conceptual domains.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Psychometrics
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Adaptive functioning assessment is crucial for diagnosing Intellectual Disability (ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- It helps define disorder severity and required support levels.
- The Adaptive Functioning Scale (Escala de Funcionamento Adaptativo - EFA) is a Brazilian tool for assessing adaptive functioning in children and adolescents (ages 6-15).
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the EFA criteria as a screening instrument for adaptive functioning difficulties.
- To assess the EFA's effectiveness in identifying individuals with ID and ASD.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 917 children and adolescents without neurodevelopmental disorders, 76 with ID, and 65 with ASD.
- Variance analyses were used to compare adaptive functioning dimensions across groups.
- Sensitivity, specificity, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) were calculated.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in adaptive functioning (social, practical, conceptual) were found between groups, with medium effect sizes.
- The EFA demonstrated high sensitivity (90-94%) and varying specificity (63-90%) in ASD and ID groups.
- Excellent discriminatory capacity of the EFA was confirmed by AUC values across all domains.
Conclusions:
- The EFA effectively identifies individuals with ASD and ID.
- The instrument shows strong validity for screening adaptive functioning challenges in these populations.
- EFA is a valuable tool for assessing adaptive functioning in neurodevelopmental disorders.

