Examining Underlying Relationships Between the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version and the Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version - Assessment for Effective Intervention 2017

Oct 15, 2026

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The study addresses the growing need for reliable and valid support-needs assessment in intellectual disability by testing the criterion validity of Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version (SIS-C) scores. It evaluates how SIS-C scores relate to Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version (SIS-A) scores for youth aged 16–21 on the appropriateness boundary. Data from 142 youth completing both versions show strong associations across parallel support-need constructs. Similar relations also appear between personal competency (intelligence and adaptive behavior) and SIS-measured support needs, informing future research and practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and dataset

Measurement constructs and domain alignment

Prior validity evidence

Criterion validity findings

Implications

Examining Underlying Relationships Between the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version and the Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version Assessment for Effective Intervention 2017, Vol. 42(4) 237–247 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2017 Reprints and permissions: [sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[ ](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[DOI: 10.1177/1534508417705084](DOI: 10.1177/1534508417705084)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/1534508417705084)[aei.sagepub.com](aei.sagepub.com) Hyojeong Seo, PhD 1, Michael L. Wehmeyer, PhD2, Karrie A. Shogren, PhD2, Carolyn Hughes, PhD3, James R. Thompson, PhD2, Todd D. Little, PhD4, and Susan B. Palmer, PhD2 Abstract Given the growing importance of support needs assessment in the field of intellectual disability, it is imperative to develop assessments of support needs whose scores and inferences demonstrate reliability and validity. The purpose of this study was to examine the criterion validity of scores on the Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version (SIS-C) by identifying the relation of SIS-C scores to those on the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version (SIS-A) for youth on the boundary of appropriateness of the two assessments (ages 16–21). Using data from 142 youth who both completed the SIS-A and SIS-C, we found that parallel support need constructs on the two versions of the SIS have strong associations. In addition, there were similar relations between personal competency (i.e., intelligence and adaptive behavior) and support needs measured by the SIS-A and SIS-C. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. Keywords intellectual disability, transition The Supports Intensity Scale (SIS; Thompson et al., 2004) and its refreshed version (Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version [SIS-A]; Thompson et al., 2015a) were the first standardized measure of support needs, a psychological construct defined as “the pattern and intensity of supports necessary for a person to participate in activities linked with normative human functioning”(Thompson et al., 2009, p. 135) . The need for measures, such as the SIS-A, emerged from social-ecological models of disability that define disability as a discrepancy between personal competency and environmental demands (Schalock et al., 2010) . As such, disability is a state of functioning that can be improved by the application of appropriate personalized supports (Thompson et al., 2009). To identify and develop appropriate personalized supports to assist people with intellectual disability (ID), reliably assessing support needs is a necessary first step. Support needs assessment activities should begin as early as possible and endure throughout the person’s life asa way of ensuring meaningful systems of supports that promote full participation in culturally valued settings (Schalock et al., 2010) . For those reasons, the Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version (SIS-C; Thompson et al., 2016a) was developed to compliment the SIS-A (Thompson et al., 2015a) and to assess the relative intensity of support needed by children ages 5 to 16. As shown in Figure 1, the SIS-C author team conceptualized parallel constructs on the SIS-A and SIS-C that had relevance across the life span (home living, community living, health and safety, social, and advocacy domains), while recognizing at the measurement level the items may differ slightly. In addition, two distinct constructs were specified on the measures, representing different demands of child and adult environments (SIS-C: school participation and learning; SIS-A: lifelong learning and employment) . For example, items on the SIS-C School Participation subscale include “moving around within the school and transitioning between activities” whereas items on the SIS-A 1 Kongju National University, Gongju, ChungNam, South Korea 2University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA 3City University of New York, Flushing, USA 4Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this study?

To examine the criterion validity of SIS-C scores by identifying how SIS-C scores relate to SIS-A scores for youth aged 16–21 at the boundary of appropriateness between the two assessments.

Which versions of the Supports Intensity Scale are compared?

The study compares the Supports Intensity Scale–Children’s Version (SIS-C) with the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version (SIS-A), focusing on parallel constructs and related support needs.

What do the results show about the relationship between SIS-A and SIS-C?

Parallel support-need constructs across the two SIS versions show strong associations, and similar relations are reported between personal competency (intelligence and adaptive behavior) and support needs measured by both SIS-A and SIS-C.

Oct 15, 2026

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