A Tutorial: Use of the WHO ICIDH-2 for Determining Aural Rehabilitation Goals

The purpose of this project was to implement the newly revised International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICIDH-2) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), to establish specific aural rehabilitation goals. Five graduate clinicians in speech language pathology and audiology interviewed ten participants with adult onset hearing loss. A modified version of the General Questions for Participation and Activities (i.e., a structured interview technique) from the ICIDH-2 Checklist, was developed. Prior to completing this checklist, the students attended a brief training session to become familiar with the major components of the ICIDH-2, specifically the ICIDH-2 Checklist. Completion of the ICIDH-2 Checklist, Version 2.1a, clinician form (prefinal draft, December 2000), allowed the students to classify and qualify disability and health according to the constructs of Activity and Participation, (i.e., what a person can and cannot do as a result of hearing loss and what a person does and does not do as a result of hearing loss, respectively). Following completion of Parts 2 (Activities and Participation) and 3 (Environmental Factors) of the Checklist for each of the ten clients interviewed, aural rehabilitation goals were developed. Four participants are highlighted to illustrate how the ICIDH-2 is used to objectify the impact of hearing loss and to establish specific treatment goals. The results support the use of the modified version of the General Questions for Participation and Activities in development of aural rehabilitation goals for clients with adult onset hearing loss. Graduate clinicians demonstrated the ability to complete the checklist with little assistance, suggesting that the use of the ICIDH-2 by experienced clinicians should be a relatively easy task. Goal development was also a relatively easy task using the checklist ratings, and the ratings related directly to the individual participant\u27s quality of life in their current situation