Individualized outcome measures for evaluating life skill groups for children with disabilities

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Occupational Therapy
• Disability Studies
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Evaluating life skill programs requires assessing individual priorities and abilities alongside program objectives.
• A key challenge is developing outcome measures that are both sensitive to individual progress and aligned with program goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and utility of goal menus and individualized outcome measures.
• To evaluate these methods within two life skill groups for children with disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and modified Goal Attainment Scaling (mod-GAS).
• Evaluated eleven children at baseline and after a 5-week program.
• Employed individualized outcome measures tailored to each child's goals.

Main Results:

• COPM satisfaction scores significantly increased by 3.0 points (P=0.001).
• COPM performance scores improved by 1.0 point (P=0.002).
• 55% of participants achieved their functional goals (mod-GAS = 0), with demonstrated community carryover.

Conclusions:

• Individualized outcome measures positively contribute to evaluating life skill programs for children with disabilities.
• The study supports the use of tailored assessment tools for demonstrating program effectiveness.
• Goal menus and mod-GAS are feasible and useful tools for this population.