Functional assessments are used to assess motor, sensory, cognitive, psychological and social skills and the effect of any impairment on the performance of tasks.
It is common for occupational therapists to assess a person’s ability to carry out daily living activities, such as self care and domestic tasks as well as work and leisure activities.
As we think Vince and Nigel may have visual problems, the team decides they should look at how this affects function, by assessing how they perform a dressing task. The following link describes how to set up a dressing task: How to set up a dressing task [PDF, 24.6 KB]
How did Vince and Nigel get on?
Vince
- With time and some initial prompts, Vince turned his head, reached out to the left with his left arm and found all clothing items as they were required.
- Once he found each clothing item, Vince would hold it up to his right side to position it correctly to put on.
- Vince struggled to use the mirror, but by turning his head was able pull his jumper completely over his left shoulder.
Nigel
- Nigel did not find any of the clothing items on his left and when cued to find the missing items and turn his head, he responded but only for a short time, refocusing on items within the range of his right side.
- Nigel struggled to position the garment properly and started dressing with the sleeves tangled up.
- The mirror appeared to have no impact on Nigel’s ability to adjust his jumper and it continued to be snagged on his left shoulder without him noticing.
For further information on functional assessment see the Additional Information box.
Page last reviewed: 29 Jul 2021
