Confirmatory factor analysis of the supports intensity scale for children

• The SIS-C is the first attempt to assess support needs in children with intellectual disability within the Spanish context.
• We explore the internal structure of the Spanish version of the scale, using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
• Goodness-of-fit indices reveal that a unidimensional model is not sufficient to explain the support needs construct.
• Multidimensional models (primarily the correlational model) better explain the data obtained from the scale.
• These findings are similar to those previously obtained in analyses of the SIS-A structure.

Support needs assessment instruments and recent research related to this construct have been more focused on adults with intellectual disability than on children. However, the design and implementation of Individualized Support Plans (ISP) must start at an early age. Currently, a project for the translation, adaptation and validation of the supports intensity scale for children (SIS-C) is being conducted in Spain. In this study, the internal structure of the scale was analyzed to shed light on the nature of this construct when evaluated in childhood. A total of 814 children with intellectual disability between 5 and 16 years of age participated in the study. Their support need level was assessed by the SIS-C, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), including different hypotheses, was carried out to identify the optimal factorial structure of this scale. The CFA results indicated that a unidimensional model is not sufficient to explain our data structure. On the other hand, goodness-of-fit indices showed that both correlated first-order factors and higher-order factor models of the construct could explain the data obtained from the scale. Specifically, a better fit of our data with the correlated first-order factors model was found. These findings are similar to those identified in previous analyses performed with adults. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.