States, regions, or districts that fund or manage services for people with disabilities have a vital interest in knowing the numbers and characteristics of people they serve and the types of service these individuals need and receive. The ICAP and its computer database program were developed with these needs in mind. By merging data files from individual facilities or programs it provides accurate information about basic demographics, types and degrees of handicaps, current placements, and future service needs based on individual assessments. The ICAP Service Score, described in the “Service Score” section, is an excellent predictor of necessary service intensity and is highly correlated with client-based costs.
Program Management
The ICAP is usually completed by program staff such as teachers, social workers, or care providers. It provides their input into the individualized program planning process and satisfies periodic assessment requirements. The ICAP is short, reliable, and easy to complete. Its computer scoring program prints time-saving individual client reports as well as summaries and data files that can be forwarded to funding agencies, if required. The ICAP can be used by program managers to determine the possible eligibility of prospective clients. Data on multiple clients can also be summarized to provide statistics for one or more programs within a single agency.
Individual Assessment
No assessment instrument alone can substitute for team planning when examining the needs of an individual. The ICAP was designed to be an integral part of this planning, however, and its contents provide an excellent outline for team discussion, often eliciting information and opinions that parents, for example, might not otherwise bring up on their own. The ICAP has nine short sections of multiple choice items.
- Descriptive information
- Primary & additional diagnoses
- Functional limitations
- Adaptive behavior
- Maladaptive behavior
- Residential services Daytime/habilitative services
- Support services
- Social/leisure activities
The descriptive and diagnostic sections of the ICAP gather information about an individual’s age, height, weight, language spoken or understood, legal and marital status, and diagnoses, if any. Functional limitations items address vision, hearing, basic health needs, type of medication, ambulation and physical behavior items and 8 problem behavior items, described below. The residential and daytime services sections of the ICAP record current and expected future needs ranging from home-based support for infants and families to supported independent living for adults, and from day care to competitive employment. The booklet also records support services (e.g. case-management, speech therapy, etc.) that a client is currently receiving, and what additional services might be needed. Final sections ask about social and leisure activities and what, if any, factors limit social activities.