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. 2019 Feb;23(2):449-467.
doi: 10.1177/1362361318755522. Epub 2018 Jan 29.

The Gestalt of functioning in autism spectrum disorder: Results of the international conference to develop final consensus International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core sets

Sven Bölte  1   2 , Soheil Mahdi  1   2 , Petrus J de Vries  3 , Mats Granlund  4 , John E Robison  5 , Cory Shulman  6 , Susan Swedo  7 , Bruce Tonge  8 , Virginia Wong  9 , Lonnie Zwaigenbaum  10 , Wolfgang Segerer  11 , Melissa Selb  11   12
Affiliations

The Gestalt of functioning in autism spectrum disorder: Results of the international conference to develop final consensus International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core sets

Sven Bölte et al. Autism. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with diverse social, educational, and occupational challenges. To date, no standardized, internationally accepted tools exist to assess autism spectrum disorder-related functioning. World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health can serve as foundation for developing such tools. This study aimed to identify a comprehensive, a common brief, and three age-appropriate brief autism spectrum disorder Core Sets. Four international preparatory studies yielded in total 164 second-level International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health candidate categories. Based on this evidence, 20 international autism spectrum disorder experts applied an established iterative decision-making consensus process to select from the candidate categories the most relevant ones to constitute the autism spectrum disorder Core Sets. The consensus process generated 111 second-level International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories in the Comprehensive Core Set for autism spectrum disorder-one body structure, 20 body functions, 59 activities and participation categories, and 31 environmental factors. The Common Brief Core Set comprised 60 categories, while the age-appropriate core sets included 73 categories in the preschool version (0- to 5-year-old children), 81 in the school-age version (6- to 16-year-old children and adolescents), and 79 in the older adolescent and adult version (⩾17-year-old individuals). The autism spectrum disorder Core Sets mark a milestone toward the standardized assessment of autism spectrum disorder-related functioning in educational, administrative, clinical, and research settings.

Keywords: Disability and Health core sets; International Classification of Functioning; assessment; autism spectrum disorder; consensus conference; disability; functioning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Sven Bölte declares no conflict of interest related to this article. He discloses that he has in the last 5 years acted as an author, consultant, or lecturer for Shire, Medice, Roche, Eli Lilly, Prima Psychiatry, GLGroup, System Analytic, Kompetento, Expo Medica, and Prophase. He receives royalties for text books and diagnostic tools from Huber/Hogrefe, Kohlhammer, and UTB. Petrus J de Vries declares no conflict of interest related to this article. He has been on the study steering committee and advisory board for clinical trials and guideline development in tuberous sclerosis complex funded by Novartis. Soheil Mahdi, Mats Granlund, Wolfgang Segerer, Melissa Selb, Cory Shulman, John E. Robison, Bruce Tonge, Virginia Wong, and Lonnie Zwaigenbaum declare no conflict of interest related to this work.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Example of the hierarchically organized category structure of the ICF.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The iterative decision-making process at the consensus meeting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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