Occupational Therapy Assessment of Functional Cognition for Employment: Unpacking the Toolbox
Occupational Therapy Assessment of Functional Cognition for Employment: Unpacking the Toolbox is organized by Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) / Association canadienne des ergotherapeutes (ACE) and will be held on Sep 12, 2024.
Description:
Canadian occupational therapists are increasingly faced with the challenge of evaluating the functional cognitive impacts of concussion / TBI, mental health diagnoses, chronic pain, and other factors on an individual’s occupational participation. Occupational therapists need to have a solid understanding of functional cognition, what it encompasses, how it impacts an individual's capacity for employment, and how to assess and analyze the impact to provide independent opinions and determine a therapy plan with the individual. Occupational therapists can utilize ecologically valid measures to assess the fit between the individual’s strengths and limitations and the specific job demands in their context.
A toolbox of measures that capture the functional cognitive limitations experienced by the individual that are also relevant to critical cognitive job demands is required to ensure an accurate and comprehensive assessment of this individual's abilities and limitations and the starting point for work-oriented rehabilitation.
The purpose of this workshop is to unpack the toolbox of measures to assess functional cognition and to familiarize occupational therapists with their utility to determine an individual’s strengths and challenges for employment. Workshop topics include:
• Functional cognition: What is functional cognition? How do we assess an individual’s functional cognitive capacity?
• Structured observations: How do we tailor the environmental parameters of the assessment and use structured observations to gather information on functional cognition?
• Patient-related outcome measures (PROM): How do we consider an individual’s subjective reports regarding functional cognitive challenges?
• Standardized measures: What standardized measures do we have available to measure functional cognition?
• Work simulation: How do we utilize work simulation activities (generic and work-specific) to evaluate work-related functional cognition?
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
• Explain the concept of functional cognition within the occupational therapy scope of practice.
• Utilize structured observations of functional cognition that will assist with the formulation of opinions on abilities and limitations.
• Select Patient-Related Outcome Measures (e.g., subjective reports) that will assist with the formulation of opinion on abilities and limitations.
• Select standardized measures (e.g., objective measures) that will assist with the formulation of abilities and limitations.
• Describe generic and work-specific work simulation activities that will assist with the formulation of abilities and limitations.
• Incorporate tests and measures to formulate an opinion on an individual's functional cognitive capacity and compare this with information on critical cognitive job demands.