How to Perform Needs Assessments on the Developmentally Disabled

People with a developmental disability need to be individually accessed in order to determine their level of need. A developmental disability can range greatly from person to person, and due to this the services that they will require can also vary greatly.

• Call a meeting for the individual with developmental delay to access the level of independence of the person. Include family members, physicians, teachers and therapists who deal with the person on a regular basis so that you can get further input on the needs of the person being accessed.


• Assess the physical needs of the person to help determine the independence level. For example, does the person need help remembering to take medications? Do they need handicap access due to a physical disability? Are they able to be responsible for scheduling and going to doctor's appointments? Assessing these needs will help to determine the level of need of a person with a developmental disability.


• Determine if the person is able to take care of personal needs such as grooming, bathing, dressing, feeding, cooking and shopping. All of these life skills are going to need to be performed independently if the person is going to be able to live on their own without constant care and supervision.


• Determine the level of family support that the person has in place. Is there a lot of family that is willing to step in and help with day-to-day tasks? Or are these tasks going to need to be handled by a professional if the person is unable to perform the task on their own. Family support is very important to helping someone with a disability live as normally as possible.