Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R)

Posted on: March 9, 2015 | By: mneuen | Filed under: Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R)

Critical Review of Tests & Measures: Scale of Independent Behavior- Revised


Dates of Publication: 1984 and Revision: 1996

Authors: Robert H. Bruininks, Richard W. Woodcock, Richard F. Weatherman, Bradley K. Hill

Source: Riverside Publishing Company, 425 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, Illinois 60143     phone number: 800-323-9540

Costs: Complete kit $340.00 (Includes Interview Book, Comprehensive Manual, 15 Full Scale Response Booklets, 5 Short Form Response Booklets, 5 Early Development Form Response Booklets)

Purpose: The main purpose is usually for either diagnosis or program planning. The SIB-R provides a comprehensive norm-referenced assessment of 14 areas of adaptive behavior and 8 areas of maladaptive behavior. There are 4 adaptive domains: Motor Skills, Social Interaction and Communication, Personal Living and Community Living. There are 3 maladaptive domains: Internalized, Asocial and Externalized. The SIB-R is primarily designed to measure functional independence and adaptive functioning in home, school, employment, and the community settings.

Type of Test: Questionnaire or Structured interview

Target Population and Ages: 3 months – 80+ years

Time Requirements: 45-60 minutes Full Scale, 15-20 minutes Short Form or Early Development Form Administration (and Scoring)

Test Administration: Short Form, Short Form for children and Short Form adapted for the blind

Administration: Examinee and/or Respondent (parent and/or guardian) are read statement/question as they follow along in response booklet.

Adaptive Rating Scale: Does (or could do) task completely without help or supervision:

  • 0 – Never or rarely  Even if Asked
  • 1 – Does, not well or about 1/4 of the time may need to be asked
  • 2 – Does fairly well or about 3/4 of the time may need to be asked
  • 3 – Does very well always or almost always without being asked

Maladaptive Rating Scale: Frequency or How Often?

  • 1- Less than once a month
  • 2 -One to 3 times a month
  • 3- One to 6 times a week
  • 4- One to 10 times a day
  • 5- One or more times an hour

Behavior Rating Scale: Severity or How Serious?

  • 0- Not serious, not a problem
  • 1- Slightly serious, a mild problem
  • 2- Moderately serious, moderate problem
  • 3- Very serious, severe problem
  • 4- Extremely serious, a critical problem

Scores: Age equivalents, Standard Scores: Percentile ranks; Broad Independence Score; Relative Mastery Indexes (RMI) and a Support Score

Type of information, resulting from testing: The Support Score predicts the level of support a person will require based on the impact of maladaptive behaviors on adaptive functioning. Functional limitations in adaptive behaviors may also be identified.

Environment for Testing: Quiet setting

Equipment and Materials Needed: Manual and Response Booklet (available in Spanish), Interview Easel and Software (Scoring and Reporting)

Examiner Qualifications: Trained and Certified

Evidence of Reliability: The Comprehensive Manual documents reliability through internal consistency measures, high test-retest studies, and comparison of independent raters. Please consult the manual for specifics for specific age groups.

Evidence of Validity: The Comprehensive Manual established validity as a technically sound measure standardized on 2,182 individuals nationwide. Please consult manual for specific age groups.

Summary: Although the author, Brad Hill describes SIB-R as one of the most widely used adaptive behavior assessments in the United States there were very  little research articles available to support his claim. The strengths are centered around  the usefulness and accuracy of this norm-referenced standardized tool.  The weaknesses are the time element of 45-60 minutes necessary for the administration of the full scale version and the validity of the information provided by the respondent. The clinical application would be to allow support services the information necessary to offer the appropriate level of support and supervision. The SIB-R  would also identify functional limits that could translate into therapeutic goals.

In a article written by Kerry Wells et al, three behavior scales appropriate for school aged individuals with autism were compared. The three scales were: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Scales of Independent Behavior – Revised, and the Adaptive Behavior Scale. The authors recommend including assessing adaptive behavior when evaluating individuals who present with autistic characteristics to get a more accurate diagnosis. Research showed that including a scale would improve accuracy by 9%. Wells interjected the relevance is for treatment planning. Individuals with autism typically have difficulty with communication and interactions which make it difficult to assess using standard cognitive tests. Therefore the advantage of including one of these scales would be that much of the information is provided by the respondent, someone that knows the individual very well. Wells stated that she found more research that used the Vineland Scale than the other two. However this study wanted to see how all of these scales could assess the relationship of cognitive functioning to the severity of autism.  The study revealed that the Vineland had the highest correlation with mental age than the other two scales suggesting that developmental level could be assessed better with this scale. Therefore the authors recommend using the SIB-R or Adaptive Behavior Scale when assessing this population which would focus more on the impact of the severity of autism on function.

Wells, K et al. A Comparison of Three Adaptive Behavior Measures in Relation to Cognitive Level and Severity of Autism. Journal on Developmental Disabilities.2009 vol 15 (3): 55-62.

 

2 responses to “Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R)”

  1. mroyston says:

    This seems like a great source to diagnose and predict prognosis in children that may have autistic tendencies. Was there any research that you came across indicating that this scale should be used throughout a lifetime to monitor development (or decline)? Or is this scale typically used once for diagnosis and from that point on, are behaviors simply monitored without the scale to observe progression?

  2. mneuen says:

    This test is great for lots of diagnostic purposes but can be used as a tool indicating progress as well. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)require an assessment and determination of impairment in adaptive functioning in order to make a diagnosis of mental retardation. There are many assessment tools that the DSM will accept the SIB-R is just one of them.

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