Functioning and disabilities of patients in Japanese institutions for children with physical disabilities.

III. Assessment of participation using the ICF

Abstract

The present investigation assessed the participation of 157 children with disabilities in Japanese residential institutions for children with physical disabilities. The following four participation items were employed in a survey using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Heath (ICF): recreation and leisure, acquisition of goods and services, apprenticeship and non-remunerative employment. The first qualifier was used to assess performance of participation in a subject's current environment. All the items were assigned to a scale below 1 (mild difficulty) in more than half the children in both the mild or moderate and the severe physical disability groups. A scale above 2 (moderate difficulty) accounted for more than 70% of children in the severe intellectual disability and severe motor and intellectual disability groups. These results suggest that participation restriction predominantly increases with severity of intellectual disabilities and is also associated to some extent with motor disabilities.