What the ABAS 3 measures
Adaptive behaviour is what a person usually does day to day to look after themselves, get along with others and manage their life. It is different from intelligence. Someone can do well on an IQ test and still need a lot of help with everyday tasks, or the other way round.
The ABAS 3 covers 11 skill areas, grouped into three broad domains: conceptual, social and practical. The skill areas are:
- Communication
- Functional academics, such as using reading, writing and numbers in everyday life
- Self direction, such as making choices, starting tasks and following a routine
- Health and safety
- Social skills and leisure
- Self care, home or school living, and community use
- Work, for older teenagers and adults
- Motor skills, mainly for young children
How the assessment works
The ABAS 3 is a rating form, not a task the person performs. Someone who knows them well rates how often they do each skill without help. It covers people from birth to 89 years, with five forms:
- Parent or primary caregiver form, ages 0 to 5
- Teacher or daycare provider form, ages 2 to 5
- Parent form, ages 5 to 21
- Teacher form, ages 5 to 21
- Adult form, ages 16 to 89, completed by the person or by someone who knows them
Understanding the scores
The overall score is called the General Adaptive Composite (GAC). The GAC and the three domain scores are standard scores, where 100 is average for that age and most people fall between about 85 and 115. Each skill area also gets a scaled score, where 10 is average.
Lower scores mean the person uses fewer of the everyday skills expected at their age. A useful report explains what the numbers mean in real life, for example needing reminders to wash, or not yet being able to catch a bus alone, and links that to the support needed.
ABAS 3 or Vineland-3?
Both measure adaptive behaviour, and psychologists choose between them based on the person, the setting and the question being asked. The main difference is format. The ABAS 3 is a rating form that a parent, teacher or the person completes. The Vineland-3 can be done as an interview with a trained assessor or as rating forms.
For NDIS access, the NDIA's list of preferred evidence names the Vineland for intellectual disability, autism, developmental delay and Down syndrome. The ABAS 3 is not named on that list. If NDIS evidence is the main reason for the assessment, ask your assessor which tool suits best, or whether results from both would help.
How it is used in the NDIS
Adaptive behaviour results are commonly part of diagnosing intellectual disability, alongside a cognitive assessment such as the WISC or WAIS, and are often included in autism and developmental assessments. Moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability is on the NDIA's List A, so a confirmed diagnosis at that level is likely to meet the disability requirements.
For participants, ABAS 3 results can also be useful evidence later on: at a plan reassessment, or when asking for supports such as daily living skills training or home and living supports, because they show how much everyday function is affected.
Who can do it and what it costs
The ABAS 3 is usually given by psychologists, often within a broader assessment. Other qualified professionals use it too. There is no set NDIS fee for the ABAS 3 itself. The professional charges for their time, including scoring and writing the report.
For participants, it is usually paid from the improved daily living skills part of the Capacity Building budget. The 2026/27 NDIS price limit for psychology is $252.99 an hour in most of Australia. Since 1 October 2026 that budget is reduced by 10% when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed, so check what is left first. Before you are a participant, assessments are usually paid privately or through public services.
Tips for an accurate result
- Rate what the person usually does without help, not what they can do on a good day with prompting
- Ask more than one person who sees them in different places, such as a parent and a teacher
- Mention reminders and supervision you give without thinking about it
- Ask for the report to explain scores in plain language with clear recommendations
- Read the report before it is sent anywhere, and ask for corrections if something is wrong