ABSTRACT

The International Classification of Functioning (ICF)–Disability and Health–was published in 2001 and 2007 by the World Health Organization and since then, a considerable body of research has been developed worldwide on its applications in a variety of fields. Its main purpose is to provide a classification of functioning for adults and children with disabilities, considering their everyday lives, all the activities they perform and the environments they are embedded in, in addition to their health condition, which has been the traditional approach to disability in many countries. The ICF provides a holistic approach to special educational needs (SEN), considering each individual child from the point of view of the activities they perform, their participation and the environments they grow up in, in addition to body functions and structures. The chapter presents an evidence-based study or project describing how the ICF has been used to improve the provision of services for children and/or young people with SEN in a given context.