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	Schalock Quality of Life Model	Supports Intensity Scale
Field	Disability Studies	Disability Studies
Family	Latent structure	Latent structure
Year of origin	2002	2009
Originator	Robert L. Schalock and Miguel Angel Verdugo	James R. Thompson and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
Type	Multidimensional quality-of-life measurement framework	Standardized support-needs assessment scale
Seminal source	Schalock, R. L., & Verdugo, M. A. (2002). Handbook on Quality of Life for Human Service Practitioners. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation. ISBN: 9780940898776	Thompson, J. R., Bradley, V. J., Buntinx, W. H. E., et al. (2009). Conceptualizing supports and the support needs of people with intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(2), 135-146.
Aliases	Schalock-Verdugo QOL Model, Eight-Domain Quality of Life Framework, Multidimensional QOL Model, QOL Domains Model	SIS, AAIDD Supports Intensity Scale, Support Needs Assessment, Supports Intensity Level Scale
Related	3	3
Summary	The Schalock and Verdugo Quality of Life model is a multidimensional framework for conceptualizing and measuring quality of life among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Drawing on cross-cultural and empirical work synthesized in their 2002 Handbook on Quality of Life for Human Service Practitioners, Schalock and Verdugo define quality of life as a composite of eight core domains: emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion, and rights. These domains are organized under three higher-order factors — independence, social participation, and well-being — that give the model a coherent structure. Crucially, each domain is measured using both objective indicators, such as observable life conditions, and subjective indicators, such as the person's own satisfaction, recognizing that quality of life has both an external and an experienced face. The framework is designed not only to describe a person's quality of life but to drive person-centered planning and to evaluate whether services actually improve the outcomes that matter to people.	The Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) is a standardized assessment developed by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) to measure the pattern and intensity of the supports a person with intellectual or developmental disability needs to participate in everyday life. Rather than cataloguing deficits or measuring impairment, the SIS reframes assessment around the supports paradigm articulated by Thompson and colleagues, asking what kinds and amounts of help a person requires to take part in valued activities. It surveys support needs across six life-activity domains — home living, community living, lifelong learning, employment, health and safety, and social activities — together with protection and advocacy and exceptional medical and behavioral needs. Each relevant activity is rated on three independent dimensions: how often support is needed, how much daily support time it consumes, and what type of support is required. These item ratings are converted into standardized subscale scores and an overall Supports Intensity Index that supports person-centered planning and the equitable allocation of resources.