Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior I: Scales of Functional Independence

Purpose: Designed to measure self-care differences in mentally retarded children and adults.

Population: Developmentally disabled individuals ages 5 and over.

Score: Three scale scores.

Time: N/A.

Author: Earl. E. Balthazar.

Publisher: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.

Description: The Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior I: Scales of Functional Independence

(BSAB-I) were developed to measure very small differences in the self-care experiences of
profoundly and severely mentally retarded children and adults. One use of the scales is to assess
individual behavior in self-care skills and compare these scores with scores in normative groups.
These scale measurements are also used to identify weaknesses in eating, dressing, and toileting
skills in order to give appropriate training or treatment, after which they can be applied again to
determine the amount of improvement in the skills where inadequacies were assessed.

Scoring: The scoring produces scores for three scales: the Eating Scale, the Dressing Scale, and
the Toilet Scale. Detailed and explicit scoring instructions are included in the manual. Reviewers
suggest that two to three hours are required to become thoroughly familiar with the scoring
procedures.

Reliability: The reliability coefficient was .873 for the Eating Scale, .965 for the Dressing Scale,
and .939 for the Toileting Scale, resulting in respectable interrater reliability.

Validity: The manual reports no external validity studies.

Norms: The BSAB-I was standardized on profoundly and severely mentally individuals aged
from 5 to 57 years, with IQS ranging from 20 to 35 on global intelligence tests.

Suggested Uses: Recommended uses include assessment of the developmentally disabled in

clinical and research settings.