Frequently Asked Question:
What is the GAC?
Answer:
The ABAS-II Scoring Assistant software Report Options allow selecting between GAC Mean and Domain Means for the Comparison Group used in the report.
General Adaptive Composite or GAC is one of the four Domain Composite Scores used in the ABAS-II test. The four domains include Conceptual, Social, Practical, and General Adaptive Composite (GAC).
Adding the Conceptual, Social, and Practical domain scores was one of the chief reasons for publishing the ABAS-II. The four domains are consistent with the American Association of Mental Retardation’s recent guidelines (Harrison & Oakland, 2003b). The ABAS-II uses between 193 and 241 items to obtain GAC scores. The GAC compares a person’s global adaptive skills to the adaptive skills of others in the same age group from the standardization sample. Most skill areas include over 20 items. However, the Teacher form for ages 5 to 21 is shorter and includes skill areas with 15, 16, and 17 items.
Sample items for each skill area are: Communication – speaks clearly; Community Use – finds the restroom in public places; Functional Academics – counts from 1 to 20; Health and Safety – carries scissors safely; Home or School Living – sweeps the floor; Leisure – invites others home for fun activity; Self-Care – washes hands with soap; Self-Direction – controls temper when disagreeing with friends; Social – says “please” when asking for something; Work – performs tasks at work neatly; and Motor – runs without falling.
Communication, Functional Academics, and Self-Direction skill areas comprise the Conceptual domain. Social and Leisure skill scores combine to make the Social domain. Self-Care, Home or School Living, Community Use, Health and Safety, and Work comprise the Practical domain. The Work skill area is optional for adults and for youth of working age. Also, there is a Motor skill area that is part of the GAC for young children, but it is not part of any of the domain scores.
If you need additional assistance, please contact the Technical Support Center by phone at 1-800-249-0659 or by email at esupport@pearson.com.
