Used correctly, the ICAP can provide an unbiased basis for determining level of care requirements as well as assisting in forecasting service delivery costs.

The Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) is one of the most widely used adaptive behavior assessment in the United States. The ICAP can be used to assess children and adults with developmental disabilities, people who become handicapped as adults through accident or illness, and elderly people who have gradually lost their independence often need special assistance at home, at school and at work are.

The ICAP is a 16 page booklet that measures both Adaptive and Maladaptive behaviors and gathers additional information to determine the type and amount of special assistance that people with disabilities may need. This assistance might be in the form of home-based support services for infants and children and their families, special education and vocational training for young people, and supported work or special living arrangements such as personal care attendants, group homes, or nursing homes for adults. The ICAP provides information about what a person can or cannot do as well as what type of help a person may need to go about their daily living.

The ICAP can be completed in about 20 minutes by a parent, teacher or care provider who is well acquainted with the person being assessed. It is unique because of its content and because of its usefulness at three levels: for individualized planning, for program management, and for statewide statistic keeping. The ICAP precisely measures adaptive behavior and problem behavior, and includes an overall Service Score, a combined measure of adaptive and maladaptive behavior that indicates overall level of care, supervision, or training required.