Individual support plans of people with intellectual disabilities in residential services: content analysis of goals and resources in relation to client characteristics.
Dutch homes write independence goals for mild ID and comfort goals for profound ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team read 209 support plans from Dutch group homes. They sorted every goal and service by level of ID and age.
No clients were trained. The work was a snapshot audit, not an experiment.
What they found
Plans for mild ID chase independence. They list grocery shopping, bus training, and help from friends.
Plans for profound ID chase comfort. They list pain checks, sensory rooms, and specialist staff.
Age matters too. Adults get job goals. Seniors get health goals.
How this fits with other research
Hanzen et al. (2018) looked deeper into the same Dutch files. They found ‘inclusion’ and ‘leisure’ goals are still rare for adults with visual and profound ID. The two audits agree: severe ID plans focus on care, not community.
Giné et al. (2014) in Spain used the SIS to group residents by need and then tied each group to a funding band. Both studies turn assessment data into service plans, but Climent linked the groups to money while A et al. linked them to daily goals.
Csorba et al. (2011) surveyed Hungarian homes and saw stereotypy rise as IQ dropped. Their finding supports the Dutch plan pattern: more impairment equals more behaviour support and more specialist services written into the plan.
Why it matters
When you write or review an ISP, check the client’s ID level first. If it is mild, push for independence goals and natural supports. If it is profound, push for comfort, sensory, and medical supports. Use the Dutch map to be sure your goals match the real needs pictured in the file.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Open each client’s ISP, highlight every goal, and ask: does this goal fit the client’s ID level?
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Goals and objectives as mentioned in Individual Support Plans (ISPs) were analysed to explore what domains of quality of life they are associated with, what support resources are referenced for achieving the goals, and how domains and resources are related to clients age, gender and intellectual disability (ID) level. METHOD: A total of 209 ISPs for persons with ID from eight residential Dutch service provider organisations were analysed. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relations between client characteristics and the content of goals and support resources. RESULTS: Results showed that ISPs of people with mild and moderate ID had significantly more goals related to independence and social participation as compared to the ISPs of people with severe and profound ID. ISPs of clients with profound ID addressed quality of life factors related to 'well-being' more than ISPs of all other clients. ISPs of people aged 20-34 years had significantly more goals on independence than the two other age groups. ISPs of people under the age of 50 had significantly fewer goals with respect to well-being than found in ISPs of older people. Regarding the use of resources, 42.6% of the ISP goals were associated with resources from specialised services, 31.5% associated with natural resources and 25.9% associated with a combination of both natural and specialised services. In ISPs of people with mild ID, natural resources are more often mentioned, and specialised service-based resources are less often mentioned than for other people. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers empirical feedback on ISP practices in the field of ID in the Netherlands. In light of current ISP practices, results suggest that attention should be paid to: (1) distinguishing between a 'service contract' and an ISP; (2) keeping a focus on the whole person in all age groups and levels of functioning and (3) involving the service recipient in ISP development and implementation.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2016 · doi:10.1111/jir.12245