ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and Cerebral Palsy: Commonalities and Differences

Background: Capturing functional information is crucial in autism spectrum disorder. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets promote a functional approach in day-to-day practice. Objectives: This study sought to identify content commonalities and differences among the ICF Core Sets for the newly developed Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as well as Cerebral Palsy (CP) Methods: Descriptive analyses were conducted to compare the content of the different ICF Core Sets. The categories within each ICF Core Set were aggregated at the component and chapter level prior to the analysis. Results: Activities and participation was the most covered component across all ICF Core Sets. Differences included: 1) overall representation of ICF components, and 2) coverage of chapters within each component. CP included all ICF components, while ADHD and ASD predominantly focused on activities and participation and environmental factors. Environmental factors were highly covered in the ADHD Core Set (40%), as opposed to ASD (28%) and CP (27%). Conclusions: ICF Core Sets for ASD ADHD, and CP capture both common, but also much unique information, showing the importance of creating condition specific ICF-based tools to build accurate functional profiles for each clinical population.