International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) is a derived version of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF WHO 2001) designed to record characteristics of the developing child and the influence of environments surrounding the child. Providers, consumers and all those concerned with the health education and well being of children and youth can use this derived version of the ICF. It provides a common and universal language for clinical public health and research applications to facilitate the documentation and measurement of health and disability in child and youth populations.

As a version for children and youth the classification builds on the ICF conceptual framework and provides a common language and terminology for recording problems involving functions and structures of the body activity limitations and participation restrictions manifested in infancy childhood and adolescence and relevant environmental factors. The ICF-CY belongs to the family of international classifications developed by the World Health Organization for application to various aspects of health. The ICF-CY can assist clinicians educators researchers administrators policy makers and parents to document the characteristics of children and youth of importance for promoting their growth health and development.