New Psychometric Evidence for the Brazilian Version of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale

DABS-B is the Brazilian adaptation of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale, an instrument developed to assess adaptive behavior and assist in the diagnosis of intellectual disability. Culturally adapted and validated, it fills a crucial need in the Brazilian context, where such tools are scarce. This article presents two studies demonstrating its reliability and validity. Study One, involving 30 parent/guardian interviews scored independently by two evaluators, showed strong interrater reliability (ICC = .60 - .97), albeit with slightly lower agreement in the social domain. Study Two, comparing DABS-B with a similar measure in 47 cases, revealed robust correlations (.63-.83), affirming its validity. These findings underscore the promise of DABS-B in Brazil, addressing the current deficit of culturally adapted tools.