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Examining the Specific Effects of Context on Adaptive Behavior and Achievement in a Rural African Community: Six Case Studies from Rural Areas of Southern Province, Zambia

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Abstract

Generally accepted as universal, the construct of adaptive behavior differs in its manifestations across different cultures and settings. The Vineland-II (Sparrow et al. in Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second edn. AGS Publishing, Circle Pines, MN, 2005) was translated into Chitonga and adapted to the setting of rural Southern Province, Zambia. This version was administered to the parents/caregivers of 114 children (grades 3–7, mean age = 12.94, SD = 2.34). The relationships between these children’s adaptive behavior, academic achievement and cognitive ability indicators are compared to those usually observed in US samples. Results reflect no association between adaptive behavior and cognitive ability indicators, but a strong relationship between high adaptive behavior and reading-related measures. Six case studies of children with high and low scores on the Vineland-II are presented to illustrate the possible factors affecting these outcomes.

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Notes

  1. This mean age, in a culture where children start 1st grade typically at the age of seven, may seem high by Western standards. It is most likely this high due to children repeating grades or taking time away from school.

  2. The names presented in these case studies are not the real names of the children.

  3. Particularly common in the area where the Bala Bbala Project is underway are the Brethren in Christ and Seventh Day Adventists Churches.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following people for their efforts in the Bala Bbala Project and this study on adaptive behavior in particular: Perity Sinamwenda, Bertha Muntanga, Nchimunya Chaavwa, Loveness Nyirenda, Pebble Moono, Mutinta Moono, Fines Mwaanga, Anthony Moono, and Collence Munsanje. We also thank Bestern Kaani and Diane Goudreau, for their invaluable assistance with the translation, adaptation, and training on the Chitonga version of the Vineland. Most importantly, we express our deep appreciation of Sara Sparrow, whose contributions to the understanding of adaptive behavior, and whose ever present guidance and support, knowledge and wisdom carried us to this shore. The preparation of this manuscript was supported by funding from R01 TW008274 from the National Institutes of Health. Grantees undertaking such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional judgment. This article, therefore, does not necessarily represent the position or policies of the NIH and no official endorsement should be inferred.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT, 06519-1124, USA

    Mei Tan, Jodi Reich, Lesley Hart & Elena L. Grigorenko

  2. Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Mei Tan & Elena L. Grigorenko

  3. Macha Research Trust, Macha, Zambia

    Philip E. Thuma

  4. Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Elena L. Grigorenko

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  1. Mei Tan
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Correspondence to Elena L. Grigorenko.

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Tan, M., Reich, J., Hart, L. et al. Examining the Specific Effects of Context on Adaptive Behavior and Achievement in a Rural African Community: Six Case Studies from Rural Areas of Southern Province, Zambia. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 271–282 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1487-y

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