Validating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Autism in a Sample of Australian School-Aged Children on the Spectrum.
Maya Hayden-Evans, Kiah Evans, Benjamin Milbourn and 6 others
PMID 38400895WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver ratings matched autism core sets for attention and social tasks, but missed key facilitators like assets and motivation.
Many ICF terms were unclear to parents, requiring simplified definitions before clinical use.
Key findings
01Body function and activity codes in the autism core sets were the most applicable for this sample, but environmental factors were less conclusive.
02Several environmental factors rated as strong facilitators, such as assets and immediate family, were not included in the autism core sets.
03More than half of caregivers requested clarification on specific codes, indicating the standard ICF definitions were difficult for the general population to understand.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied entirely on proxy-report by caregivers, primarily mothers, which may not reflect the child's self-perception or the father's view. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling and social media, so the sample may not represent the broader population of children on the spectrum. Many children had co-occurring conditions like ADHD, which makes it difficult to attribute specific functional challenges solely to autism. The prototype measure did not have domain or total scores, limiting comparison with other standardized tools.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Curtin University. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the ICF Core Sets for autism are ready for direct use in patient-facing questionnaires. The study found that standard ICF definitions were often unclear to caregivers, requiring simplified language to ensure accurate reporting.