ICF Illustration Library

WOW! Tonight at my meeting with Dr Sandra Neumann I learned about the ICF Illustration Library: http://www.icfillustration.com/top_e.html

It can be searched in English, Spanish and Japanese.

We may be able to use these images for the child version of the ICS.

 

ICF Australia Interest Group Meeting

This afternoon I attended the ICF Australia Interest Group Meeting. Topics discussed included: 

• Updates from annual WHO-FIC meeting October 2020 (Richard Madden and Catherine Sykes). They discussed the moves to bring together ICD-11, ICF and ICHI onto a common platform (ICAT) and provided a 

• National Disability Data Asset and disability definition (Louise York, AIHW). 
• NSW is running a pilot on early childhood education (one of five national case studies)
  
• ICF and outcome measures in rehabilitation trials (Prof Cathie Sherrington) 
• Updates from ICF Australia Interest Group Members (including NDIS Independent Assessment Framework and its use of ICF by Ros Madden)

Here is a new paper about the bringing together of the WHO classifications: 

• Tu SW, Nyulas CI, Tudorache T, Musen MA, Martinuzzi A, van Gool C, della Mea V, Chute, CG, Frattura L, Hardiker N, ten Napel H, Madden RC, Almborg A-H, Ginige JA, Sykes CR, Celik C, Jakob R. (2020) Toward a Harmonized WHO Family of International Classifications Content Model. In L.B. Pape-Haugaard et al. (Eds.) Digital Personalized Health and Medicine. European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) and IOS Press. p1409-1410. doi:10.3233/SHTI200466. http://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/54468

Health and Wellbeing in Childhood - Third Edition

My copy of Health and Wellbeing in Childhood - Third Edition has just arrived in the mail. It is so new it is not even on the Cambridge University Press website yet.

Here are the chapters I have co-authored with Jane McCormack:

• McCormack, J. & McLeod, S. (2020). Classifying health and wellbeing: Applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health to early years learners. In S. Garvis & D. Pendergast (Eds). Health and wellbeing in childhood (3rd ed.) (pp. 20-34). Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press. 
• McCormack, J. & McLeod, S. (2020). Communication development. In S. Garvis & D. Pendergast (Eds). Health and wellbeing in childhood (3rd ed.) (pp. 132-153). Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press. 

They have been substantially updated since the second edition - and the chapter on communication development includes case studies based around children's drawings.

The German Intelligibility in Context Scale: First ICF-CY based assessment of intelligibility in children with speech-sound disorder in Germany

The following paper has just been published:

Neumann, S., Schäuble, L., & McLeod, S. (2020). Skala zur Verständlichkeit im Kontext (ICS-G) - Erstes deutsches ICF-CY-basiertes Assessment zur Verständlichkeit von Kindern mit Aussprachestörungen [The German Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS-G) - First ICF-CY based assessment of intelligibility in children with speech-sound disorder in Germany]. Forum Logopädie, 34(4), 24-28.

https://www.dbl-ev.de/service/zeitschrift-forum-logopaedie/aktuelle-ausgabe/

Here is the abstract in German and English:

Zusammenfassung
Die Implementierung der ICF-CY nimmt kontinuierlichen Einzug in die sprachtherapeutische Forschung und Praxis. In diesem Rahmen werden ICF-CY-basierte Diagnostikmaterialien und Therapiekonzepte benötigt. Für Kinder mit Aussprachestörungen spielt dabei insbesondere die Einschätzung deren Verständlichkeit eine wichtige Rolle, da diese in direktem Zusammenhang mit erfolgreicher Interaktion sowie kommunikativer Partizipation steht. Die ins Deutsche übersetzte Skala zur Verständlichkeit im Kontext (ICS-G) ist ein Fragebogen für Sorgeberechtigte, der die Verständlichkeit von Kindern mit Aussprachestörungen im sozial-interaktiven Kontext im Kindergarten- bzw. Vorschulalter einzuschätzen vermag. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die autorisiert übersetzte und validierte deutsche Version ICS-G ausführlich dar.

Summary
The ICF-CY is implemented more and more in speech and language research and therapy. In this framework, ICF-CY based diagnostic tools and therapy concepts are needed. Especially the assessment of intelligibility is very important regarding children with speech-sound disorder (SSD) given that it is directly associated with successful interaction and communicative participation. The German Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS-G) is a proxy report questionnaire for caregivers rating the intelligibility in context of preschool children with SSD. The present paper presents the authorized translated and validated German version of the ICS in a detailed manner.

 

Providing feedback to the World Health Organization

Today I submitted feedback about proposals to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to the World Health Organization on behalf of 24 speech-language pathologists from across the world (UK, US, Fiji, The Netherlands, Iceland, Australia, etc.).  We plan to provide more feedback when new proposals are welcomed.

ICF-Australia Interest Group

Today I attended the ICF-Australia Interest Group online meeting chaired by Richard Madden from the University of Sydney and attended by people across Australia, in the US and Greece.
The topics included:

• Merging ICF and ICF-CY into ICF2020 that will be uploaded into a new electronic format
• Request for comments about recommended changes to ICF (including recommendations to Chapter 3 - Communication) (Catherine Sykes)
• Mapping SDGs onto ICF is underway (Brooke MacPherson)
• ICHI for medical and surgical interventions will be finalised in 2020. ICHI for functioning will be the next focus, followed by public health.

In the section about news from the Interest Group, I was able to mention the following publications:

1. Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020, in press May). Holistic communication assessment for young children with cleft palate using the ICF-CY. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 
2. Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020, in press February). Applying the ICF-CY to specialist SLPs’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. Advance online publication https://doi.org/10.1177/1055665620918799 
3. Blake, H. L., & McLeod, S. (2019). Speech-language pathologists’ support for multilingual speakers’ English intelligibility and participation informed by the ICF. Journal of Communication Disorders, 77, 56-70. doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2018.12.003

I was also able to make a number of suggestions regarding recommended changes to the ICF and will followup on this in the next week.

Here are some resources recommended during the meeting:

• ICF Australia website https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-centres/who-collaborating-centre-for-strengthening-rehabilitation-capacity-in-health-systems/classifications-and-terminologies.html 
• ICF Australia Education resources: https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/MOdUMYinBvueonD (Imelda) 

Catherine Sykes demonstrating how to use the ICF Update Platform

Dr. Rune Simeonsson

Applying the ICF-CY to expert SLPs’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech

The following paper has been accepted today:
Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020, in press February). Applying the ICF-CY to expert SLPs’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal.
It forms part of Anna's PhD. Congratulations Anna!
Here is the abstract:

Objective: To evaluate how the practice of specialist speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with young children with cleft palate ± cleft lip (CP±L) maps onto the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-CY) and consider the functionality of the categories of the ICF-CY for this specialist area of practice.  
Design: Cross-sectional, qualitative study.
Setting: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with SLPs working in tertiary level hospitals, universities, private and public clinics.
Participants: Six specialist SLPs with 17-39 years of experience working with young children with CP±L as researchers and clinicians in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and USA.  
Main Outcome Measure(s): Specialists’ practices were captured using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data collected were analyzed by directed content analysis applying the ICF-CY coding schema.  
Results: In total 4,077 data points were coded. Most mapped onto Body Structures (684, 16.8%), Body Functions (906, 22.2%) and Environmental Factors (1626, 39.9%). A “best fit” approach was taken to topics that did not map exactly onto categories of the ICF-CY (e.g., velopharyngeal insufficiency; VPI); however, there was not always an ideally suitable category available.  
Conclusions: The current study revealed challenges in categorizing key aspects of practice with children with CP±L, including collaboration with parents and significant others, specificity around speech, language and articulation, and the different types of VPI within the ICF-CY. Therefore, future discussion around how best to use the framework with children with CP±L is needed.

Invited book chapter about the ICF and how to use participation to guide assessment and intervention

This morning I had a videoconference with Dr Karla Washington from the University of Cincinnati, OH. We have been invited to write a book chapter titled "School-age children with communication disorders" in a new book provisionally entitled "ICF and Communication Disorders in Child-Onset Disability" edited by Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker and Travis Threats. Their book uses the framework from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) through the lifespan. Our chapter will be in section 3: How to use participation to guide assessment and intervention of communication disorders across the lifespan.

Presentation at the World Health Organization symposium on ICF-CY

Today (25th June 2019) Associate Professor Jane McCormack and I had the honour of presenting a paper titled "The application of ICF-CY to inclusion of children and young people with primary communication disability" at the symposium titled "Applications of the ICF and Lessons Learned", held at The University of Sydney.

The following international speakers, influential in the development of the ICF-CY, also presented:

• Rune Simeonsson: ICF/CY and children: Accomplishments and next steps. 
• Mats Granlund: Conceptualizing change with the help of ICF-CY – is it possible? 
• Eva Björck-Akesson: ICF-CY as a basis for collaborative problem solving in early childhood intervention - a focus on inclusion 

Here is the outline of the event:

This symposium is an opportunity for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to hear about diverse applications of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and to discuss, network, and share information. The Symposium includes four sessions, the first three involving 3-4 short presentations followed by a forum discussion. Two brainstorm sessions will also enliven the day. The final session will draw together common themes of the day, and there will be a group discussion of lessons learned and future directions for ICF application – whether for research, education, statistical, clinical or service use. The symposium has been organised to take advantage of three international speakers attending the International Society on Early Intervention Conference. There will be a major (but not exclusive) focus on the ICF and children’s functioning and disability, with a range of speakers from universities, research groups and organisations in Australia and overseas.

A/Prof Jane McCormack, Helen Blake, Rune Simeonsson ("Father of the ICF-CY"),
Prof Sharynne McLeod, A/Prof Bronwyn Hemsley

Presenters and participants at the WHO-ICF-CY symposium

Professor Sharynne McLeod presenting at the symposium