PDFWAC 388-828-3040
What questions are asked in the support assessment for children and how are they scored?
DDA scores the answers to each of the following questions in the support assessment for children based on the respondent information:
(1) Dress and groom self: What support does the child need to dress and groom self as expected of others of same age?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Physical Assistance | Needs major support in the form of total physical assistance, intensive training and/or therapy for dressing and grooming. | 1 | 4 |
Training | Needs moderate support in the form of some physical assistance and/or training and/or therapies to dress and groom self. | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/Prompts | Needs reminders or prompts to dress and groom self appropriately. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | At age level (may have physical supports) in dressing and grooming. | 0 | 0 |
(2) Toilet self: What support does the child need to toilet self as expected of others in his/her age group?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs major support in the form of total physical support. Intensive training intervention and/or daily therapy to toilet self. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs moderate support in the form of some physical assistance, standard training and/or regular therapy. | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Needs reminders or prompts. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Toilets self or has physical support in place to toilet self. | 0 | 0 |
(3) Eat at age level: What support does the child need to eat at age level?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs major support in the form of total physical assistance, intensive training and/or daily therapy. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs moderate support in the form of some physical assistance, standard training, and/or regular therapy. | 1 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Needs help with manners and appearance when eating, in the form of reminders and prompts. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | At age level (may have physical supports) in eating. | 0 | 0 |
(4) Move around: What support does the child need to move around in the same ways as other children of same age?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs major intervention in the form of total physical support to move around, intensive training and/or daily therapy. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs moderate support such as someone's help to move around or may use or learn to use adaptive device or may require standard training. | 1 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Needs mild intervention in the form of training and physical prompting for scooting/crawling/walking behaviors. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | No supports needed - child is scooting/crawling/walking at age level | 0 | 0 |
(5) Communicate: What support does the child need to communicate as others of same age?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Currently someone else must always determine and communicate child's needs. | 1 | 4 |
Training/therapy | With intensive training or therapy support, child may learn sufficient verbal and/or signing skills to make self easily understandable to others. May include partial physical support. | 1 | 3 |
Adaptive device/interpreter | With physical support (adaptive device, interpreter), child is always able to communicate. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | No supports needed and/or at age level. | 0 | 0 |
(6) Learn about and use money: What support does the child need to learn about and use money?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Child is not old enough to know about money. | 0 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Family must devise special opportunities for child to earn/or spend money. | 0 | 3 |
Create opportunities, reminders/prompts | Needs to learn about earning and/or spending money in typical age-level ways. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support. Independently uses opportunities typical to his/her age group to earn and/or spend money. | 0 | 0 |
(7) Make choices and take responsibility: What support does the child need to make choices and take responsibility?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs major support in the form of special and/or technical help to and from family/teachers to create opportunities for making choices and taking responsibility. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs moderate support in the form of family/teachers creating and explaining a variety of opportunities for making choices and taking responsibility. | 1 | 3 |
Create opportunities, reminders/prompts | Needs some support in the form of explanation of available options for making choices and taking responsibility. | 1 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support. Readily uses a variety of opportunities to indicate choices (activity, food, etc.) and take responsibility for tasks, self, etc. | 0 | 0 |
(8) Explore environment: What support does the child need to explore environment?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs major support in the form of specialized technical help to and from family/teachers to create ways which support/encourage child to explore and reach out. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs moderate support in the form of some training/physical help to and from family and teachers to create ways and opportunities for child to explore environment and reach out. | 1 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Needs some support in the form of verbal encouragement or presence of someone child trusts to explore environment and reach out. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support and/or is at age level. Readily explores environment (may have adaptive device) and reaches out in ways typical to child's age group. | 0 | 0 |
(9) Meet therapy health needs: What supports are necessary to get child's therapy health needs met?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Daily intervention by professionals | Child requires medical/health intervention or monitoring by professionals at least daily. | 1 | 4 |
Monitoring by health professionals | Child needs regular (weekly, monthly) monitoring by health professionals. | 1 | 3 |
Monitoring by trained others | Child needs daily support and/or monitoring by training others. | 1 | 2 |
Community health system | Needs regular on-going therapy and/or monitoring of health needs through typical community health systems. | 0 | 1 |
No support needed or at age level | No specialized supports or ongoing therapies necessary. | 0 | 0 |
(10) Help family continue to meet child's needs: What support services should the system provide to help family continue to meet child's needs?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Urgent extensive support | Substantial significant supports to child and parents needed. Child in, or at risk of, out-of-home placement at this time. | 1 | 4 |
Substantial support/referrals needed | Substantial support needed/requested; (e.g., requests for more than two days per month respite, referral to homemakers, homebuilders; request for long term behavior management training, need extensive and/or expensive environmental modification or equipment; request frequent contact with case manager.) | 1 | 3 |
Moderate support | Moderate external support needed/requested; (e.g., requests for regular respite, intensive but short-term behavior management, referral for parent training help, referral to day care services; and/or request for regular contact with case manager.) | 0 | 2 |
Minimal support | Minimal external support needed/requested; (e.g., requests for occasional respite, referrals to parent support group, and/or case manager helps obtain adaptive equipment.) | 0 | 1 |
No support needed or at age level | No external supports are necessary. Family has obtained any necessary adaptive equipment. | 0 | 0 |
(11) Have relationships with family members: What support does the child need to make the kind of relationships with family members expected of nondisabled children of the same age?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Opportunities for contributing to family life totally dependent on others to maintain, interpret child's role to other family members. | 0 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Requires major support in the form of daily/weekly creation of opportunities to be seen as a contributing member and assume typical family responsibilities. | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Requires moderate support in the form of adaptive device, training and/or reminders to be seen as contributing member and assume typical family responsibilities. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support to form positive family relationship. | 0 | 0 |
(12) Explore and use typical community resources: What support does the child need to explore and use typical community resources such as stores, parks, and playgrounds?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Family needs major support (perhaps respite) to continue to provide child total physical support to use typical resources. | 0 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Moderate support is needed - family must create ways for child to use these resources in ways typical to child's age group. | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Minimal support needed - family may wish suggestions or some support on ways to enable child's regular use of typical resources. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support and/or at age level. Uses these resources regularly. | 0 | 0 |
(13) Play with others: What supports are needed for the child to develop age-level skills in playing with others?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Major support needed by others to help child play. Parents may request special adaptive equipment and training to foster child's playing skills. | 0 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance training | Moderate support needed in the form of a verbal and/or some physical intervention to help child play. Parents may be requesting suggestions instruction in ways to help child develop playing skills. | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Minimal support needed. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | No supports needed and/or at age level. Child's playing skills developing at age level. | 0 | 0 |
(14) Have opportunities to play with typically developing children: What supports does the child need to have opportunities to play with typically developing children?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Substantial system support (e.g., system must set up "programs" that allow for interaction with typically developing children and the "programs"). | 0 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Moderate supports (e.g., parents have to create opportunities for contacts). Parents may ask for instruction in how to facilitate such contacts. System may need to provide structural supports (e.g., transportation, barrier-free public play environments, etc). | 0 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Minimal support (e.g., some monitoring). Parents may request help on how to broaden child's range of contacts or to increase the age appropriateness of contacts. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | No support needed. | 0 | 0 |
(15) Identify and respond safely to emergencies: What support does the child need to identify and respond safely to emergencies?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs total physical support to respond to emergencies. | 1 | 4 |
Always needs help to identify and respond | Needs help all of the time to identify emergencies and to respond. | 1 | 3 |
Sometimes needs help to identify and respond | Needs help some of the time to identify emergencies and to respond. | 1 | 2 |
Can identify, needs help to respond | Independently identifies emergencies; needs help from others to respond. | 1 | 1 |
No help needed or at age level | Needs no help from others in emergencies. | 0 | 0 |
(16) Practice age-level safety measures: What support does the child need to practice age-level safety measures?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs total physical support for safety measures in daily activities and routines. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Does not recognize own safety needs and requires help in most safety areas. | 1 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Knows importance of safety measures. Needs training and/or physical support in many areas. | 1 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support in providing for own safety. | 0 | 0 |
(17) Effectively relate to other students/peers: What support does the child need to most effectively relate to fellow students and/or peers?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Total physical support | Needs physical support by others in the form of interpretation of self to others to interact with peers. | 1 | 4 |
Partial physical assistance, training | Needs physical intervention in the form of modeling to enable child to reach out to peers to give and take support. | 1 | 3 |
Reminders/prompts | Needs much encouragement, supervision and guidance in how to give and ask for support and interact with peers. | 0 | 2 |
No support needed or at age level | Without support, child relates to others as a valued member of work/learning unit. | 0 | 0 |
(18) Have behaviors which promote being included: What support is needed for this child to have behaviors which promote being included?
Answers | Definitions | LOC Score | Acuity Score |
Continuous behavioral interventions | Needs major tolerance and control. Could include being dangerous to self and/or others. | 1 | 4 |
Major behavior modifications | Needs major behavior modifications to be perceived as typical. Child's behaviors are extremely disagreeable to others. | 1 | 3 |
Modeling, reminders, prompts | Needs participation in typical settings with typically developing others to model desirable behaviors. Child's behaviors cause him/her to be easily recognized as different from others. | 0 | 2 |
Minor support | Needs interactions with typically developing others. Child's behaviors are different from others in minor ways and the child may not immediately be perceived as different. | 0 | 1 |
No support needed or at age level | Needs no support. Behaviors are similar to others in general community of same age and culture. | 0 | 0 |
[Statutory Authority: RCW 71A.12.030 and 71A.16.050. WSR 21-19-093, § 388-828-3040, filed 9/17/21, effective 10/18/21. Statutory Authority: RCW 71A.12.030 and Title 71A RCW. WSR 07-10-029, § 388-828-3040, filed 4/23/07, effective 6/1/07.]