Validity and reliability of the INICO-FEAPS Scale: An assessment of quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
INICO-FEAPS is a solid, dual-informant quality-of-life scale you can plug into adult IDD services right now.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Austin et al. (2015) built a new quality-of-life scale for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They call it the INICO-FEAPS. The team checked that the questions hang together and give steady answers across raters.
What they found
The scale has eight clear areas, such as self-determination and social life. Both self-ratings and staff-ratings line up well. The tool is ready for everyday use in adult services.
How this fits with other research
Libero et al. (2016) took the same eight-area idea and made a kids’ version called KidsLife. It covers ages 4-21, so you can track quality of life across the lifespan.
Dembo et al. (2023) built the AILMS, a 19-item scale that zooms in on independent-living skills. Use INICO-FEAPS for broad quality of life, then grab AILMS when you need a sharper skills lens.
Cheves et al. (2026) later released the OWLS-ID, a 27-item self-report tool for emotional distress. It keeps the adult focus but swaps broad QoL for a quick mental-health screen.
Why it matters
You now have a family of proven scales. Start with INICO-FEAPS to capture overall well-being. Add AILMS when independence goals enter the plan. Switch to OWLS-ID if mood signs show up. All three speak in plain language clients can understand, and each takes under 15 minutes to give.
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Print the 54-item INICO-FEAPS, give copies to client and key staff, and plot the eight domain scores on a radar chart for next month’s team meeting.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper documents the validation of a comprehensive scale designed to assess quality-of-life related personal outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive support in social organizations. The INICO-FEAPS Scale was administered to 1627 people whose ages ranged between 16 and 72 years old. The instrument comprises 72 parallel items organized around eight quality-of-life domains in each of the two forms: a self-report and a report by others. Several internal consistence indexes showed a good reliability of the scale. CFA was used to compare the goodness-of-fit to the data of alternative models. The eight-correlated first-order factors showed the best fit to the data in comparison to the unidimensional solution and hierarchical models. The instrument serves as a helpful tool for organizations to operate as bridges to the community, develop person-centered planning and individualized support, and implement evidence-based practices for quality improvement.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.049