| Poster | Poster Session 09 Program Schedule
02/16/2024
03:30 pm - 04:45 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)
Poster Session 09: Epilepsy | Oncology | MS | Infectious Disease
Final Abstract #42
Comparing BASC-3 Functional Impairment and ABAS-3 Global Adaptive Composite Scores in Pediatric Cancer Patients
Parker Garrett, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Brooke Iwamoto, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Ashley Whitaker, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Category: Cancer
Keyword 1: adaptive functioning
Keyword 2: cancer
Keyword 3: assessment
Objective:
Children with a history of pediatric cancer are at risk for psychosocial challenges and adaptive impairment, whether due to the impact of the illness or its subsequent treatments. Given the negative impact such impairments have on patients’ quality of life and their ability to engage socially and at age-expected levels, accurate assessment is imperative. The Adaptive Behavior Assessment, Third Edition (ABAS-3) is a measure commonly used to assess adaptive functioning in children, while the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) features a scale measuring functional impairment as part of a broader assessment of psychosocial functions. This study explores the relationship between the BASC-3 Functional Impairment score and the ABAS-3 General Adaptive Composite (GAC) in a sample of pediatric cancer patients to inform battery selection.
Participants and Methods:
Patients with pediatric cancer who were administered either (or both) the ABAS-3 and BASC-3 as part of a larger neuropsychological evaluation were included. Parent/caregiver versions of the measures were utilized. Standardized scores were derived using age-based normative data and were reported as Standard Scores (x̄=100, SD=50) for the ABAS-3 and T-scores (x̄=50, SD=10) for the BASC-3. The sample as a whole (N=316) consisted of 219 participants with completed BASC-3 measures, 183 participants with completed ABAS-3 measures, and 86 participants with both BASC-3 and ABAS-3 measures completed. Age at evaluation ranged from 4 months to 21 years of age (x̄=11.5 years, SD=4.9 years), while time since diagnosis ranged from 1 month to 19 years (x̄=6 years, SD=4.4 years).
Results:
As expected, the ABAS-3 GAC and BASC-3 Functional Impairment scale scores were negatively correlated, such that higher adaptive functioning on the ABAS-3 predicted lower impairment on the BASC-3, r(86)=-.577, p<.001. Both measures were also compared to population expectations using one-sample T-tests. Findings from both measures differed from normative age expectations, with the sample obtaining higher levels of concern on the BASC-3 Functional Impairment scale, t(218)=1.824, p=.035 (x̄=51.2, SD=9.7), as well as lower scores on the ABAS-3 GAC, t(182)=-9.927, p<.001 (x̄=88.6, SD=15.6).
Conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that the ABAS-3 GAC and BASC-3 Functional Impairment scores are significantly correlated. The BASC-3 content scales (including Functional Impairment) are not utilized as frequently as the clinical and adaptive scales. However, given findings from this study in the context of increasing insurance reimbursement limitations on longer batteries and importance of brevity for medically fragile populations, clinicians may consider utilizing this scale more often. That being said, the clinical significance of these statistical findings may still differ between measures, so the lengthier GAC may still be the more appropriate choice in certain circumstances. Additional research would be beneficial to further examine these relationships.
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