The ICF Contextual Factors related to speech-language pathology

Abstract

The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) conceptualizes functioning and disability as a dynamic interaction between a person's health condition and their contextual factors. Contextual factors “represent the complete background of an individual's life and living” and comprise two components: Environmental Factors and Personal Factors. This review aims to: (1) discuss why contextual factors are important for speech-language pathologists to address in their clinical practice, (2) describe how environmental factors are coded in the ICF, (3) identify environmental factors that are relevant for people with communication disorders, and (4) identify personal factors that are relevant for people with communication disorders. Research on environmental factors that can influence the functioning of individuals with various communication disorders is presented, in addition to studies on personal factors that are important for speech-language pathologists to consider. The paper concludes that speech-language pathologists need to address contextual factors routinely, in order to provide a holistic approach to intervention for their clients. Furthermore, although a number of contextual factors that are relevant for people with communication disorders have been reported in the literature, more research is needed in this area.