Adaptive Behavior as an Alternative Outcome to Intelligence Quotient in Studies of Children at Risk
A Study of Preschool-Aged Children in Flint, Michigan
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Report Publish Date: August 11, 2021
This journal article describes a study of children exposed to contaminated water in Flint, Mich.
Primary Takeaways
The authors found that:
- 71% of children had adaptive behavior skills appropriate to their age or above.
- 55% of children had average or above average IQ scores.
The authors say their findings show that measuring children’s adaptive skills adds information that IQ scores do not capture.
Overview and Objectives
“Adaptive behavior” means daily life skills, like social and practical skills, that help people function. The authors wanted to know whether measuring these skills could help public health researchers quantify the effects of things like racism, poverty, and lead and other environmental toxins on children’s developing brains. The authors wanted to compare adaptive behavior and IQ, which is commonly used in epidemiological studies to estimate intellectual disability, to see whether they correlate.
Hypothesis or Approach
The authors studied mothers and children who lived in Flint and received water from its distribution system between April 25, 2014, and October 15, 2015, during the Flint water crisis. Children were born between March 1, 2012, and April 24, 2014.
The mothers took online and in-person surveys, and the children were assessed in person.
The authors used the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Fourth Edition to measure IQ. They used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales to measure adaptive behavior skills.
How This Influences Change
“Our findings underscore the value of measuring adaptive behaviors in addition to IQ in studies of young children at heightened risk for neurodevelopmental difficulties,” the authors say.
Research: Go Deeper
Intelligence quotient (IQ) is commonly measured in child development studies, while adaptive behavior is less frequently considered. Given its associations with functional outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, adaptive behavior may be a useful outcome in general population samples, as well. This study aimed to compare social and environmental correlates of adaptive behavior vs. IQ in a sample of preschoolers exposed to the Flint water crisis (N = 184). Mother–child dyads were recruited from the community and administered a comprehensive battery to obtain information about child neurodevelopmental functioning, including direct assessment of IQ via the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and assessment of parent-reported adaptive functioning via the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Multiple social environmental factors were explored as potential correlates of child outcomes (i.e., IQ and adaptive behavior), and robust correlates were identified using a data-driven approach [i.e., least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression]. We then examined associations between the LASSO-selected predictors and IQ and adaptive behavior while controlling for child age, child sex, and maternal age. Children in this sample showed relative strength in adaptive behaviors, with scores in the adequate range, while average IQs fell in the low-average range. Adaptive behavior was significantly associated with maternal nurturance practices, while IQ was associated with the maternal education level. Implications for the use of adaptive behavior as an outcome measure in studies of children at an increased risk for neurodevelopmental problems are discussed.
Front. Psychol. 12:692330. August 11, 2021. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.692330
Research Team
This study and report was conducted and created by the following people.
- Shuting Zheng
- Kaja LeWinn
- Tiffany Ceja
- Mona Hanna-Attisha
- Lauren O'Connell
- Somer Bishop
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