WCPA searching for Executive Functioning
By Robin Dobrusin and Christopher Shedyak
Literature: Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA)
Author: By Joan Toglia, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Theory Model: Cognitive Rehabilitation
Objective: A performance-based measure of executive function (EF), and cognitive ability.
Materials Needed: A weekly calendar broken into hourly increments with sub divisions into 15 min increments, scrap paper, pen or pencils, a score chart (provided in the book WCPA) crayons, colored highlighters and erasers are a plus.
Time Required: That is subjective to the age of the population being used with. (see score chart)
Purpose: To observe and measure the Cognitive Ability and Rehabilitation of a clients of various ages …show more content…
The assessment process is relatively easy for both the test taker and the observer. Another pro for using WCPA is the deep understanding of a client’s EF ability in a short amount of time. One of the cons about using WCPA is the possible disparity because the client did not like all aspects of participation. “Participants who were less accurate tended to follow fewer rules and use less time and fewer strategies. More complex tasks may recruit more frontal lobe resources, challenging the validity of single-construct neurocognitive tests.” Another con is the fact that the scoring system does not take into account that EF changes with age, during adolescence, “is a period of neurodiversity, during which development of EF may follow variable developmental trajectories related to vulnerabilities such as stress, risk taking, and the social …show more content…
The American Occupational Therapy Association used WCPA on a group of adolescent students who dropped out of school once but were now thinking about re-entering the school system. They found the information provided by WCPA to be valuable to OT’s as well as the teachers in the classrooms with understanding how to increase student needs and strengths. Although there are variables that need to be considered that may influence some populations, overall, this system is simple, diverse, accurate and could become a favorite of OT/OTA’s looking to have Performance Based Assessment
By Robin Dobrusin and Christopher Shedyak
Literature: Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA)
Author: By Joan Toglia, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Theory Model: Cognitive Rehabilitation
Objective: A performance-based measure of executive function (EF), and cognitive ability.
Materials Needed: A weekly calendar broken into hourly increments with sub divisions into 15 min increments, scrap paper, pen or pencils, a score chart (provided in the book WCPA) crayons, colored highlighters and erasers are a plus.
Time Required: That is subjective to the age of the population being used with. (see score chart)
Purpose: To observe and measure the Cognitive Ability and Rehabilitation of a clients of various ages …show more content…
The assessment process is relatively easy for both the test taker and the observer. Another pro for using WCPA is the deep understanding of a client’s EF ability in a short amount of time. One of the cons about using WCPA is the possible disparity because the client did not like all aspects of participation. “Participants who were less accurate tended to follow fewer rules and use less time and fewer strategies. More complex tasks may recruit more frontal lobe resources, challenging the validity of single-construct neurocognitive tests.” Another con is the fact that the scoring system does not take into account that EF changes with age, during adolescence, “is a period of neurodiversity, during which development of EF may follow variable developmental trajectories related to vulnerabilities such as stress, risk taking, and the social …show more content…
The American Occupational Therapy Association used WCPA on a group of adolescent students who dropped out of school once but were now thinking about re-entering the school system. They found the information provided by WCPA to be valuable to OT’s as well as the teachers in the classrooms with understanding how to increase student needs and strengths. Although there are variables that need to be considered that may influence some populations, overall, this system is simple, diverse, accurate and could become a favorite of OT/OTA’s looking to have Performance Based Assessment