Classification of functioning and impairment: the development of ICF core sets for autism spectrum disorder.
ICF Core Sets will give BCBAs a shared, lifespan language for autism strengths and barriers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bölte et al. (2014) mapped out how to build ICF Core Sets for autism.
The team planned a multi-step consensus process. Clinicians, parents, and adults with ASD will pick the most useful items from the big ICF list.
Goal: give every team the same short list of words for autism strengths and challenges across the life span.
What they found
The paper is a roadmap, not a final list. It shows the steps that will create the Core Sets.
When finished, the sets will let you describe communication, self-care, and sensory needs in plain, standard language.
How this fits with other research
Jones et al. (1992) warned that one label cannot serve both science and services. Sven et al. answer that call by giving separate Core Sets for research and for clinics.
Halvorsen et al. (2025) later tested a new checklist for autistic youth who also have IDD. Their tool adds mental-health items that the ICF sets can absorb.
Mayes et al. (2009) proved three older scales work well. The Core Sets can pull the best items from those scales so teams do not need three forms.
Why it matters
Once the Core Sets are ready, you can open one page and see the exact codes for a client’s sleep, play, or job skills. No more writing "limited eye contact" in ten ways. Start noting which ICF codes you use now so you are ready when the short list drops.
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Pick one client goal and write it in both plain English and the closest ICF code you can find.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Given the variability seen in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), accurate quantification of functioning is vital to studying outcome and quality of life in affected individuals. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive, universally accepted framework for the description of health-related functioning. ICF Core Sets are shortlists of ICF categories that are selected to capture those aspects of functioning that are most relevant when describing a person with a specific condition. In this paper, the authors preview the process for developing ICF Core Sets for ASD, a collaboration with the World Health Organization and the ICF Research Branch. The ICF Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) was derived from the ICF and designed to capture the specific situation of the developing child. As ASD affects individuals throughout the life span, and the ICF-CY includes all ICF categories, the ICF-CY will be used in this project ("ICF(-CY)" from now on). The ICF(-CY) categories to be included in the ICF Core Sets for ASD will be determined at an ICF Core Set Consensus Conference, where evidence from four preparatory studies (a systematic review, an expert survey, a patient and caregiver qualitative study, and a clinical cross-sectional study) will be integrated. Comprehensive and Brief ICF Core Sets for ASD will be developed with the goal of providing useful standards for research and clinical practice and generating a common language for functioning and impairment in ASD in different areas of life and across the life span.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2014 · doi:10.1002/aur.1335