Adaptive Functioning and Behaviour of Children With Special Needs: Comparison Between Ethnic Groups

This study investigated the relationship between behaviour and adaptive functioning in 70 children of 5–16 years of age with special needs from three ethnic groups who lived in an urban health district. Parents were interviewed and completed the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale (VABS) and the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC). The most pronounced developmental deficits were found in communication and daily living skills. Two‐thirds of the subjects were rated as having a moderately severe behaviour problem on at least one item of the ABC. Asian children presented slightly more difficulties in communication, and Afro‐Caribbean children did better than the other children on all domains (though this was not statistically significant). In addition, European children were rated significantly higher than the other two groups in the behavioural scales of hyperactivity and inappropriate speech. Within the whole sample, domains of adaptive functioning, particularly socialisation, were negatively correlated with behavioural problems. Inappropriate speech, as rated by the ABC, was associated with developmental delay on all three VABS domains.