How the goal assesses children’s functional abilities For a large portion of daily life, children need to develop basic motor abilities. These motor abilities, which comprise both fine and large motor skills, allow kids to do a variety of tasks, such as picking up a spoon or bouncing a ball.
The Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL) tests a child’s capacity to carry out the motor functions required in both their present and future everyday lives. It has a contemporary perspective on how occupational therapy could evaluate a person.
Most of the fundamental ideas in the GOAL are explained by the sensory theory advanced by Dr. A. Jean Ayres. According to this notion, kids with impaired sensory processing will find it difficult to learn, control their movements, or perform at a level that is expected of them.
Young children may have issues that make it more difficult for older kids or adults to comprehend higher-level integrative tasks like arranging movement and social interaction.
For a more thorough evaluation of a child’s motor skills, the GOAL includes ideas from a variety of previous research and tests. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework are a few of the additional studies and evaluations mentioned above.
Children between the ages of 7 and 17 are the target audience for The GOAL. There are seven various activity sets in it. These dynamic functional tasks serve as indicators of important everyday activities for children.
Because the kids like playing with each activity, the evaluation stimulates and engages them in a fun way, resulting in more accurate readings. Additionally, the exercises are standardized to deliver psychometrically accurate measurements of the difficulties and advantages.
The fact that the GOAL is actually goal-oriented is one of its most distinctive features. The children’s goals are made meaningful and measurable through these activities, which also test their functional capacities and fundamental motor skills.
A child needs certain motor skills to participate at home, school, and in a range of community contexts, as indicated by the set of scores supplied by the GOAL. Accuracy, speed, and independence are the three criteria used by the scoring system to determine functional success.
Standard Scores for the gross motor and fine motor domains are distinct, enabling normative comparisons between individuals of the same age and gender. The Standard Scores can be used to determine a person’s eligibility for admission to particular programs, including occupational therapy and schooling.
The GOAL also produces Progress Scores, which show areas where a child can develop. The Rasch measurement methods are used to calculate this score, which is particularly helpful for tracking changes over time following occupational therapy intervention.
The International Classification of Functioning (ICF) for medical disorders, developed by the World Health Organization, is reflected in the GOAL’s nomenclature. The ICF minimizes the significance of any participation obstacles caused by diseases in favor of a child’s ability to engage in daily activities.
Children who need to have their functional abilities assessed and who might be averse to other, more demanding forms of testing can benefit from the engaging and enjoyable GOAL exam. It can be used to evaluate the child’s potential need for occupational therapy intervention and helps to pinpoint growth opportunities.
Visit WPS to find out more about the GOAL and other occupational therapy and sensory processing tests.
