The influence of adaptive behaviour on school readiness

Price, JA (Jessica)
Monash University, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, 3800, Clayton

 

Submission type

Oral only

Scheduled

Room 119, 11-07-2019, 13:30 - 15:00

Keywords

adaptive behaviour, school readiness

Summary

Early childhood years set a foundation for school and for life. Poor adjustment to school has been shown to have long-term and negative implications for future academic achievement and psychological well-being. Given the importance and consequent focus on a child’s ability to transition into school, research has begun to evaluate a concept determined ‘school readiness’. School readiness assumes that a child’s skills and characteristics are important considerations for readiness, as well as the influence of early life experiences and the expectations of the classroom teacher. An important aspect of a child’s ability to transition into the school environment are skills that allow them to meet personal needs and to be able to cope with the social and natural demands in their environment, a construct known as adaptive behaviour. The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between adaptive behaviour and ‘school readiness’. The preliminary findings suggest that adaptive behaviour is an important consideration in evaluating a child’s readiness for school. The results indicate that measures of adaptive behaviour may assist with comprehensive assessment and highlight the importance for early intervention programs for children and adequate preparation for teachers and parents with the transition to school.

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