I‐CAN: A New Instrument to Classify Support Needs for People with Disability: Part I

Abstract

Background The supports paradigm has shifted focus from assessing competence and deficits among people with disabilities to identifying supports needed to live meaningful and productive lives in inclusive settings. Consequently, a rigorous and robust system is required that is capable of accurately determining the type and intensity of support needed and of allocating resources accordingly. The aim of the present study was to develop such a system to identify and classify support needs of people with disabilities based on the conceptual framework of the International Classification of ton, DC). Method A total of 1012 individuals with disabilities who were supported by accommodation and day programme organizations across the eastern states of Australia were assessed. The instrument was used in a team setting involving the person, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. Version 1 was administered with 595 people with disability. This version was refined according to qualitative and quantitative analyses. Another 342 individuals were assessed using Version 2, resulting in a combined data set for 936 individuals. Version 3 was then trialled with a further 76 individuals with disabilities. Results Ten domain scales in Health and Well Being (HWB) and Activities and Participation (A&P) were explored and refined. The scales effectively discriminated a range of intensities of support for people with various disabilities, with the highest support needs generally recorded by individuals with multiple disabilities who were ageing. The instrument can be used to develop a profile of needed supports across the domain scales. These measure current and predicted support needs, and contribute to future planning. The team approach proved beneficial in this regard. Conclusions The I-CAN is a useful instrument for effectively assessing the support needs of people with a disability using a person centred approach. It is effective in identifying support needs across health and well-being areas, and activities of daily living.

The Reliability, Validity and Practical Utility of Measuring Supports using the I‐CAN Instrument: Part II

“…As described in Part I (Riches et al. 2008), Version 1 of the I‐CAN instrument was developed for people with intellectual disability and trialled in residential and respite settings and a large residential/institutional setting due for closure.…”

“…As described in Part I (Riches et al 2008), Version 1 of the I-CAN instrument was developed for people with intellectual disability and trialled in residential and respite settings and a large residential ⁄ institutional setting due for closure. Version 2 was trialled across a range of disabilities and organizations, and additional qualitative data were collected and analysed according to themes.…”

“…2005). The development and application of I‐CAN across disability types was reported previously (Riches et al. 2008) .…”

“…It includes 10 domain scales, with four domains covering Health and Well Being (HWB) and six domains covering Activities and Participation (A&P) (Llewellyn et al 2005). The development and application of I-CAN across disability types was reported previously (Riches et al 2008). This article describes additional studies undertaken to investigate the reliability and validity of the instrument, and two studies undertaken with consumers to investigate I-CAN's practical utility.…”

I‐CAN: The Classification and Prediction of Support Needs

“…Earlier versions of the I‐CAN demonstrated good practical utility, internal consistency, predictive and concurrent validity, test–retest and inter‐rater reliability (Riches et al . ,b). However, there is a need to revalidate the latest web‐based versions of this instrument.…”