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A NEW
TRANSITION ASSESSMENT:
The Capability and Independence Scale (CAIS)©
by
Jackie Marquette Ph.D.
Specialist in Autism and Life Transitions
The
Capability and Independence Scale © is a new assessment and planning
tool to evaluate a student’s capability levels and intensity of need.
The CAIS© is a strengths-based assessment that quantifies a student’s
abilities within seven quality of life areas. Used in student
transition planning the CAIS can 1) acknowledge challenges, 2) paint a
picture of a person’s life’s as it relates to his/her abilities and
interests, and 3) determine broad supports that make quality of life
outcomes achievable, i.e., employment, college, healthy living,
continued emphasis on higher capability and independence.
Unique
features:
Emphasizes
an individual’s strengths, not limitations.
Examines
capability levels within two contexts, ‘independence and ‘broad
creative supports’
Contains
an emotional area.
Useful
in IEP, consumer-directed planning, or person-centered planning.
Ten
unique benefits the CAIS© offers:
1. Determines broad creative supports that meet the individual’s
intensity of need.
2. Offers new options for diagnosing behavioral issues and finding
solutions.
3. Emphasizes strengths and what youth are capable of doing.
4. Validates progress when interests and meaningful activities are
initiated.
5.
Useful in determining goals and objectives within school IEP meetings,
individual plans with adult services and/or person-centered planning
meetings.
6. Provides a process to create and work a Transition Action Plan.
7.
Provides supporting information that can be used when pursuing
individual planning and creating a person’s life using consumer
directed funding.
8. Draws upon collaboration; the family, school and agency personnel
during transition and life planning.
9. Examines and offers supports that enhances the individual’s
emotional development and stability.
10.
Is a protocol based on quality-of-life indicators to evaluate and
monitor student/young adult’s capability levels and personal growth.
How
School Personnel and Therapists can use the CAIS with students who have
ASD:
1)
To provide therapists in speech, OT, physical therapy, ABA, and
personnel in school and adult services a new transition assessment. The
CAIS provides information about the individual’s capability levels, and
the intensity of need for supports across seven areas of living.
2)
To aid in transition planning in developing short and long term goals,
i.e. the student’s current situation and moving upward into the next
phase in life, adulthood.
4) To provide paraprofessionals,
community coaches, and mentors who train, teach or assist individuals a
quality of life structure: teaching self help skills with practical
broad creative supports can help students/young adults become more
capable and experience greater community membership (i.e. leisure,
employment, daily living).
5) To offer significant information
about the individual’s needs to team members who participate in the
process of person-centered- planning with the individual and family.
6)
To assist an agency providing community living services to the
individual. The CAIS is a consistent protocol to pinpoint areas of need
and supports that enable students in seven domains of living.
7)
The CAIS is a user-friendly self-management tool that can assist
individuals to be their own best advocate. To offer young
adults
who are considered ‘high functioning’-- a tool that helps this group
understand the unique supports needed that can increase their
capability. The CAIS can be a self evaluation tool the young adult can
use to recognize progress and supports that increase h/her capability
levels.
For
additional information contact:
Jackie
Marquette Ph.D.
Jackie@drjackiemarquette.com
www.drjackiemarquette.com
502 417-6063
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