ABAS-3 for Belgium: standardisation, psychometric properties and guidelines for fair assessment

ObjectivesIn order to develop ABAS-3 for use in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium (Flanders), the most appropriate standardising method was investigated and psychometric properties were evaluated, based on international guidelines of the European Association of Psychologists Association. Furthermore, we investigated how ABAS-3 which inherently measures culturally-dependent behaviour can be applied in a fair way with individuals with a different cultural background.MethodsIn this study, 2,783 parent reports and 1,066 teacher reports were completed (children: 0-21 y). In addition, 629 self-reports and 415 informant reports were collected (adults: 18-89 y).ResultsContinuous norming was used for the versions for children, whereas classical norming was used for the adult versions of the ABAS. Psychometric results were mainly considered to be 'good' or 'excellent' and rarely 'sufficient'. Guidelines for fair assessment have been formulated in collaboration with several experts in the field.ConclusionsThe ABAS-3 is the first multi-informant instrument for adaptive behaviour, standardised for the general population of Flanders with sensitivity for several context variables such as cultural background and SES.