Classification of Functioning and Impairment: The Development of ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with diverse social, educational, and occupational challenges. To date, no standardized, internationally accepted tools exist to assess autism spectrum disorder–related functioning. World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health can serve as foundation for developing such tools. This study aimed to identify a comprehensive, a common brief, and three age-appropriate brief autism spectrum disorder Core Sets. Four international preparatory studies yielded in total 164 second-level International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health candidate categories. Based on this evidence, 20 international autism spectrum disorder experts applied an established iterative decision-making consensus process to select from the candidate categories the most relevant ones to constitute the autism spectrum disorder Core Sets. The consensus process generated 111 second-level International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories in the Comprehensive Core Set for autism spectrum disorder—one body structure, 20 body functions, 59 activities and participation categories, and 31 environmental factors. The Common Brief Core Set comprised 60 categories, while the age-appropriate core sets included 73 categories in the preschool version (0- to 5-year-old children), 81 in the school-age version (6- to 16-year-old children and adolescents), and 79 in the older adolescent and adult version (⩾17-year-old individuals). The autism spectrum disorder Core Sets mark a milestone toward the standardized assessment of autism spectrum disorder–related functioning in educational, administrative, clinical, and research settings.

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Parent/caregiver perspectives of functioning in autism spectrum disorders: A comparative study in Sweden and South Africa

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361319829868 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (8) ◽

pp. 2112-2130

Author(s):

Marisa Viljoen ◽

Soheil Mahdi ◽

David Griessel ◽

Sven Bölte ◽

Petrus J de Vries

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Personal Use ◽

Core Sets ◽

Icf Core Sets

Functional outcomes in autism spectrum disorder can be highly variable given the heterogeneous nature of autism spectrum disorder and its interaction with environmental factors. We set out to compare parent/caregiver perceptions of functioning in two divergent countries that participated in the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for Autism Spectrum Disorder development study. We focused on the frequency and content of items reported, and hypothesized that environmental factors would most frequently be reported as barriers to functioning in low-resource settings. Using frequency and qualitative content analysis, we compared data from South Africa ( n = 22) and Sweden ( n = 13). Frequency agreement was seen in three activities and participation categories, and one environmental factor. Obvious frequency differences were observed in one environmental factors category, six body functions categories and three activities and participation categories. Only three ICF categories (immediate family, attention functions, products and technology for personal use) differed in content. Contrary to our hypotheses, few differences in perspectives about environmental factors emerged. The universality of our findings supports the global usefulness of the recently developed ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder. We recommend that more comparative studies on autism spectrum disorder and functioning should be conducted, and that similar comparisons in other disorders where Core Sets have been developed may be valuable.

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Factors impacting employment for people with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361318787789 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 869-901 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Melissa Scott ◽

Ben Milbourn ◽

Marita Falkmer ◽

Melissa Black ◽

Sven Bӧlte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

International Classification ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Disability And Health ◽

Core Sets ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study is to holistically synthesise the extent and range of literature relating to the employment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Database searches of Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, ERIC, Web of Science and EMBASE were conducted. Studies describing adults with autism spectrum disorder employed in competitive, supported or sheltered employment were included. Content analysis was used to identify the strengths and abilities in the workplace of employees with autism spectrum disorder. Finally, meaningful concepts relating to employment interventions were extracted and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder. The search identified 134 studies for inclusion with methodological quality ranging from limited to strong. Of these studies, only 36 evaluated employment interventions that were coded and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, primarily focusing on modifying autism spectrum disorder characteristics for improved job performance, with little consideration of the impact of contextual factors on work participation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder are a useful tool in holistically examining the employment literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This review highlighted the key role that environmental factors play as barriers and facilitators in the employment of people with autism spectrum disorder and the critical need for interventions which target contextual factors if employment outcomes are to be improved.

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Automatic classification of children with autism spectrum disorder by using a computerized visual‐orienting task

PsyCh Journal ◽

10.1002/pchj.447 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiao He ◽

Qiandong Wang ◽

Yaxue Wu ◽

Li Yi ◽

Kunlin Wei

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Automatic Classification ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Visual Orienting

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Multi-atlas classification of autism spectrum disorder with hinge loss trained deep architectures: ABIDE I results

Applied Soft Computing ◽

10.1016/j.asoc.2021.107375 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107375

Author(s):

Thomas Martial Epalle ◽

Yuqing Song ◽

Zhe Liu ◽

Hu Lu

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Hinge Loss

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Developing a Culturally Sensitive ICF-Based Tool to Describe Functioning of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: TEA-CIFunciona Version 1.0 Pilot Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073720 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3720

Author(s):

Silvana B. Napoli ◽

María Paula Vitale ◽

Pablo J. Cafiero ◽

María Belén Micheletti ◽

Paula Pedernera Bradichansky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Latin American ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Practice Methods ◽

Icf Core Sets ◽

Family Centered

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects the daily functioning of children and their families; however, in Argentina, there are no standardized tools to guide the description, evaluation, and follow-up of functioning and disability of children with ASD. To fill this gap, the overarching purpose of this study was to create a novel tool guided by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Core Sets for ASD for clinical practice. Methods: A multistep methodology was used to identify the most relevant ICF categories for an Argentinian clinical setting. The content of this ICF-based shortlist was piloted and revised according to the results. Subsequently, a toolbox of measures was proposed to operationalize each ICF category. Finally, profiles of the functioning of 100 children with ASD were created. Results: An ICF-based tool called TEA-CIFunciona was created, consisting of 32 ICF categories (10 body functions, 15 activities and participation, 7 environmental factors categories). The application of TEA-CIFunciona incorporated a family-centered approach in ASD evaluations and helped identify functional needs. Conclusions: TEA-CIFunciona is the first ICF-based instrument that guides the description of functioning of children with ASD in Argentina. TEA-CIFunciona standardizes collaborative assessments in pediatric ASD populations in Latin American contexts.

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