Support for the construct validity of the Supports Intensity Scale based on clinician rankings of need

The Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) is designed as a measure of support needs for individuals with intellectual disability. The current validity study required five experienced clinicians to rank a total of 50 cases as having Low, Medium, or High Support Need based on descriptions that were part of an assessment package for services. These rankings were compared to individuals’ SIS scores. The three groups (Low, Medium, High Need) differed in their SIS Support Needs Index scores as well as 6 of the 7 subscale scores. Home Living Activities and Exceptional Behavioral Support Needs emerged as the strongest predictors of group status. These results suggest that the SIS provides valid information regarding the needs of individuals with intellectual disability receiving services.