The term ‘adaptive behavior’ refers to the specific abilities and skills that every person uses to fully function in day-to-day life. These functions are split into three main categories: Conceptual skills, social skills, and practical skills. Each of the preceding skill sets enables a person to complete important tasks. To give you more context, let’s take a closer look at each skill set.
Conceptual Skills
Conceptual skills allow for big-picture thinking, creativity, and strategic planning (ESU Staff, 2025). These skills make it possible to work on:
- Academics
- Communication
- Money management
- Self-direction
- Time management
Social Skills
Social skills make it possible for people to navigate society, resolve conflicts, and build relationships (NCSE Staff, n.d.). More specifically, social skills address an autistic child’s ability to foster success and connection in their personal life. Skills include:
- Gullibility and naivete
- Interpersonal skills
- Social problem-solving
Practical Skills
Practical skills offer the ability to complete real-world, hands-on tasks (Indeed Editorial Team, 2025). This category can be broken down further to include hard skills (such as cooking) and soft skills (like problem-solving). Practical skills include:
- Domestic skills
- Health care
- Safety
- Self-care
- Work skills
Age Appropriate Adaptive Behaviors
To help expand upon the skills shown above, here are three specific age groups, along with what type of adaptive behaviors are right for them.
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Conceptual |
Social |
Practical |
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Early Childhood |
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School Years |
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Adulthood |
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The Importance of an Adaptive Behavior Assessment System
The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3) offers a good way to measure a child’s adaptive behavior. Please note that adaptive behavior’s goal isn’t to make autistic children neurotypical. Instead, it’s to help provide independence, along with interdependence, in each person’s community. This may look different than the chart listed above.
Be aware that getting an ABAS-3 assessment isn’t the same thing as an autism assessment. However, choosing both assessments is ideal. Confirming that they’re autistic is the first step in helping them close the gap in adaptive behaviors. ABAS-3, meanwhile, can give the individual realistic goals for a practical growth strategy.
