Product Info

Quick Facts

Instrument: Supports Intensity Scale

Publication date: January 2004

Publisher: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly AAMR), Washington, DC

Purpose: To measure practical support requirements of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 85 daily living and medical and behavioral areas.

Ages: Adults ages 16 - 72

Formats: Paper; CD-ROM, web-based SISOnline system

Childrens' version: Coming 2009

Administration: To be administered by a professional in the human services field with a 4-year degree. Under exceptional circumstances others with experience conducting individual assessments and possess extensive knowledge of behavior rating or psychological testing principles may be acceptable. Refer to the SIS User's Manual for more details.

States using SIS: Click here to see a list.

Components: 128-page manual and 8-page pre-printed interview and profile forms.

Supplemental resources: Guidelines for Including People with Disabilities: Supports Intensity Scale available as a free download here.

Standardization: Normed nationally on 1,306 adults with developmental disabilities.

Reliability: Tests to-date show the SIS to have acceptable test-retest reliability and to be highly reliable over time. Specifically, the consistency of individual scores by the same rater three weeks apart averaged .87. A study published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal on Mental Retardation show the SIS Support Needs Index Score to be in the excellent range.

Who can use SIS: Professionals providing services to adults with developmental disabilities. These include psychologists, case managers, transition coordinators, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, support brokers, teachers, trainers, special educators, doctors, and more.

Authors: James R. Thompson, Brian R. Bryant, Edward M. Campbell, Ellis M. Craig, Carolyn Hughes, David R. Rotholz, Wayne P. Silverman, Marc J. Tasse, Michael L. Wehmeyer.

Organization: 8-page interview form divided into 3 sections:

Section 1: The Supports Needs Scale Includes 49 life activities grouped into six subscales: Home Living, Community Living, Life-long Learning, Employment, Health and Safety, and Social activities.

Section II: Supplemental Protection and Advocacy Scale Includes 8 activities, but the score from this section is not used in the determination of the total Support Intensity Score.

Section III: Exceptional Medical and Behavioral Support Needs Contains 15 medical conditions and 13 problem behaviors commonly associated with intellectual disabilities.


View a sample SIS interview form.
View the table of contents from the SIS User's Manual.

Download a presentation on SIS.
SIS Online:

SIS Online is an advanced web application system that enables you to score the Supports Intensity Scale online through a standard web browser. Learn more here.
CD-ROM:

The SIS CD-ROM allows you to score the Scale electronically on any computer running Windows operating system. Learn more here.

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Print:

The SIS is currently available as a paper and pencil-based test consisting of an 8-page Interview and profile form, and also comes along with a 128-page User's Manual.

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What makes SIS unique

SIS combines a novel approach to supports planning with tried-and-true scientific validity and reliability.

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What people are saying about SIS

For those of us who work tirelessly for self-determination and the full inclusion of citizens with developmental disabilities in community life--our ship has arrived.

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