Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version Research Articles

The Supports Intensity Scale Children's Version-Icelandic Translation: Examining Measurement Properties.

An innovation in developing the Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C) was the adoption of latent variable modeling approaches to norm development. In regard to translated versions of the SIS-C, the latent modeling approaches provided opportunities to leverage the large standardization sample generated in the United States (n = 4,015) to generate translation-specific norms from data collected on smaller samples in other countries and enable future cross-cultural analyses. In this study, data were collected on children in Iceland who received special education services (as defined and delivered in Iceland), a more diverse group of children with disabilities than the U.S. sample. This provided a unique context to explore cross-cultural differences. Findings indicated the structure of the SIS-C (i.e., seven support need domains organized under an overall support needs construct), was supported in the Icelandic context. However, findings also suggested that supports planning teams in Iceland must consider specific age-related factors that differ from other cultural contexts.

Examining the Impact of Respondent-Level Factors on Scores on the Supports Intensity Scale - Children's Version.

This secondary analysis examined the impact of respondent-level factors on scores on the Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C) for children and youth with intellectual disability to determine if there were any significant differences in the SIS-C scores by different respondent pairs when considering children's age, intellectual functioning level, and adaptive behavior level. Results indicated whenever a pair of respondents included a teacher or a paraprofessional, the support needs scores were lower than when the pair included a family member. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect across respondent pairing, child age, and child intellectual functioning levels as well as across respondent pairing, child age, and child adaptive behavior levels. Implications for administration and use of the SIS-C are provided.

The Support Needs of Children with Intellectual Disability and Autism: Implications for Supports Planning and Subgroup Classification

The Supports Intensity Scale-Children's version (SIS-C) was developed to provide a standardized measure of support needs of children with intellectual disability. Over half of the norming sample had a secondary diagnosis of autism. Using this subset of the sample, we engaged in exploratory analysis to examine the degree to which latent clusters were present in the data, and after identifying these clusters, the degree to which they mapped on the SIS-C standard scores. A four latent class solution provided the best fit to the data. When mapped on SIS-C standard scores, specific patterns of differences were found in life activity domain scores and overall support needs scores. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

SUPPORT NEEDS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: AGE-RELATED IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSESSMENT

The Supports Intensity Scale–Children's Version (SIS-C) was developed to assess the support needs of children and youth aged 5 to 16 years with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Data from the standardization sample of the SIS-C were analyzed to evaluate the impact of the age cohorts (5–6, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14, and 15–16 years) used to stratify the sample on the measurement model, as well as the latent means, standard deviations, and correlations. The findings confirmed measurement invariance across age cohorts, but suggested that at the latent level, younger children, generally, have more intensive support needs and that as students with intellectual disability age, their support needs decrease. In addition, the 15- to 16-year-old cohort displayed differences in terms of the strength of correlations between support need domains, with stronger correlations than the other age groups. Implications for future research and practice are described.

The Supports Intensity Scale–Children's Version: Preliminary Reliability and Validity

Abstract This article introduces the Supports Intensity Scale–Children's Version (SIS-C) designed and normed to be used with children across multiple contexts, including home, school, and community life. Steps taken to develop the scale are described, and findings from data collected on a field test version of the SIS-C are shared. Preliminary findings in regard to reliability and validity suggest that the SIS-C has strong psychometric properties.

Assessment and Planning in K-12 Schools: A Social-Ecological Approach

Abstract The Support Needs Assessment and Problem-Solving (SNAP) process is intended to assist educational teams in identifying and implementing supports for children with intellectual disability and related developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in K-12 schools. Each phase of the SNAP process is described, including identification of high priority support needs based on information derived from the Supports Intensity Scale–Children's Version (SIS-C). Two case studies of school teams using the SNAP process to identify and implement supports that enhanced opportunities for learning and participation of children in inclusive settings are presented. The importance of understanding children with ID/DD by their support needs and implications for team planning in K-12 schools are discussed.