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Once the Functional Skills for Independence Screener has been completed, the information gathered through the Questionnaires or the interviews with parents/guardians, teachers/caregivers and the learner must be compiled in the Summary. This second step in the assessment process is used to select the domain that represents the highest priority for the learner.

Learning Objectives

Assemble the information collected using the Screener and compile it concisely and objectively in the Summary.
Answer the six recommended questions to guide the selection of the highest-priority domain.

1. Complete the Summary
The Summary is found at the end of the Functional Skills for Independence Screener.

Functional Skills for Independence Screener
The Summary is used to record the following:

The main strengths listed by the parent/guardian, the teacher/caregiver and the learner.
High priorities identified by the parent/guardian, the teacher/caregiver and the learner.

Be concise and objective when filling out the Summary. You can use it as a guide when you decide, with the learner’s collaborative team, which domain will be subject to more in-depth assessment.

2. Choose a Priority Domain
Of course, the choice of the domain to be given priority is done in cooperation with the learner’s team. If all team members agree on the highest-priority domain, a short meeting or a phone call may be enough. However, if the team members are leaning toward different priorities, a longer meeting will be needed to discuss the situation in person.

You should usually choose just one domain to prioritize unless the team agrees that it is important to assess two domains. Be aware, however, that selecting more than one domain will lengthen the assessment process.

The following six questions can be used to guide the discussion when teams are deciding between several suggested domains:

Are there any concerns about the learner’s safety?

If the learner’s lack of certain skills poses a risk to the safety of the learner and the people around them, the corresponding domain should be studied further. There is no specific safety domain, but almost all the domains include safety-related skills. Here are some examples:

Domain	Skill
Fundamental Skills	Reacts to their name Understands and follows simple instructions Waits at the indicated location Recognizes when does not feel well and can communicate this
Language and Communication Skills	Reacts to the gesture meaning “come here” Shows an understanding of negation ("do not") Asks for help
Motor Skills	Goes up and down stairs Uses outdoor play equipment
Daily Living Skills	Protects privacy when dressing and undressing Recognizes dangerous substances Uses household appliances, such as the oven and dishwasher
Social Interaction Skills	Recognizes another person’s intentions (positive and negative) and responds appropriately Has conversations with peers via instant messaging, telephone calls, video chats, etc.
Functional Academic Skills	Recognizes and reads safety symbols Recognizes and reads signs in the community (pedestrian crossings, stop signs)
Community Skills	This domain includes a range of skills related to safety at school, at home, and in the community.
Recreation and Leisure Skills	All activities in which individuals might participate have separate safety rules.
Sexual Health and Well-Being	Knows the difference between familiar people and strangers Knows the characteristics of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship Knows how to get help in the event of a threat or unwanted behaviour
Self-Determination	Understands the characteristics of their disability Solves problems

Does the learner have a way to communicate wants and needs?

If the learner does not have an effective way to communicate wants and needs, teams should explore the domain(s) that might enable the learner to be better understood. This, of course, comes under the domain Language and Communication Skills but also under other domains where poorly mastered skills can cause problems. Here are a few examples:

Approaches others spontaneously (Fundamental Skills)
Adjusts behaviour according to the environment and the people involved (Social Interaction Skills)

Is there a lack of prerequisite skills that disrupts learning?

A behavioural cusp is a behaviour that, when learned, significantly expands the individual's learning opportunities in other settings. Learning to read is an example of a behavioural cusp because it opens the door to many opportunities to contact reinforcement.Some skills serve as behavioural cusps providing access to new environments, new learning opportunities, and new reinforcers. We often tend to overlook these skills, thinking that other skills will be more useful for the learner. However, they provide access to great opportunities for learning and social interaction. For example, being able to roll, bounce, throw, and catch a ball may serve as a behavioural cusp. By mastering these skills, learners can participate in activities during recess or physical education class or even in extracurricular activities.

Here are some other examples of behavioural cusps:

Responding appropriately to winning or losing (Fundamental Skills) enables the learner to participate in activities or games with peers at school or with siblings or friends at home.
Being able to follow a simple recipe (Daily Living Skills) enables the learner to prepare certain meals independently and to cook with family or friends.
Writing emails or text messages (Functional Academic Skills) enables the learner to communicate with friends and family and thus engage in typical social interactions. The ability to write an email may also be a job requirement.

Does the learner need help with basic personal care?

If certain skills related to basic personal care (e.g., eating, toileting, or dressing) are lacking, it may be important to investigate this domain further. These skills have a big impact on the level of independence in everyday life.

What are the learner's life and career goals?

The Functional Skills for Independence Screener often brings to light many challenges, and it can be difficult to determine which ones are priorities. Also, the people around the learner view priority skills from a perspective that is not always the same as the learner’s. It is therefore important to always plan and organize interventions to centre on the learner and on the learner’s needs and wants. Here are some examples of skills that may have an impact on the learner’s short- and long-term goals:

Making transactions with a debit card (Community Skills) is an important skill to master for a learner who wants to be able to go to a restaurant with friends at lunch time (short-term goal).
Recognizing the characteristics of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship (Sexual Health and Well-Being) is an important skill to master for a learner who wants to build and maintain friendly or romantic relationships (short- and long-term goals).
Identifying possible solutions (Self-Determination – Problem solving) is an important skill to master for a learner who wants to enter the labour market (long-term goal).

What resources and educational opportunities are available in the current environment?

When the team discusses selecting a domain for in-depth assessment, it is important to consider the teaching resources and opportunities available for teaching the targeted skills. Take the example of a learner who lives in a rural area. Parents want to prioritize safety in the community (Community Skills) because they worry about their child who would like to ride a bicycle in the village, as their friends do. The child does not recognize the imminent dangers, and the parents are not comfortable with the idea of letting their child go alone. This domain can certainly be given priority. However, when making the decision, the school team must make sure the parents are ready to contribute to the intervention, as it will likely take place at home.

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