The Checklist of Adaptive Living Skills (CALS)

Kate Fonseca

4/2010

What is the Checklist of Adaptive Living Skills?

The Checklist of Adaptive Living Skills (CALS) is a criterion-referenced, individually administered measure of approximately 800 specific adaptive behaviors related to self-care, personal independence, and adaptive functioning in leisure, work, community, and residential environments.

*this definition is provided in the CALS manual on page 1.

Purposes

The CALS is intended to be used for the following purposes:

As a criterion-referenced assessment of a student's performance across four broad domains and a wide range of specific adaptive skills

As a tool for program planning and development of individualized goals

To determine skills that a child or adult has mastered or needs to master in important environments

Domains & Skills Modules

The CALS is based on the assumption that a major goal for students with disabilities is to live as successfully and independently as possible, in natural community settings.

The assessment items contained in the CALS represent the skills that are needed to obtain this goal.

Structure

The CALS is organized by: 4 Broad Domains

Skill Modules Individual Tasks

Uses

The CALS can be used independently or in conjunction with the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB,) and/or the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP.)

A team may choose to use the CALS in conjunction with the SIB and/or ICAP when the following outcomes are desired (in addition to the outcomes listed on the previous slide:)

A standardized measure of a student's performance in the area of adaptive behavior is desired, to identify broad domains that require more detailed assessment.

The ability to predict a range of performance is desired by converting SIB/ICAP scores into criterion-referenced item ranges.

Uses (continued)

The CALS can be used in conjunction with the Adaptive Living Skills Curriculum (ALSC,) which contains instructional objectives and units that are linked directly to skills in the CALS assessment.

Structure: Domains & Skill Modules

1. Personal Living Skills

1.1 Socialization

1.2 Eating

1.3 Grooming

1.4 Toileting

1.5 Dressing

1.6 Health Care

1.7 Sexuality

2. Home Living Skills

2.1 Clothing Care

2.2 Meal Planning & Preparation

2.3 Home Cleaning & Organization

2.4 Home Maintenance

2.5 Home Safety

2.6 Home Leisure

Structure: Domains & Skill Modules (continued)

3. Community Living Skills

3.1 Social Interaction

3.2 Mobility & Travel

3.3 Time Management

3.4 Money Management & Shopping

3.5 Community Safety

3.6 Community Leisure

3.7 Community Participation

4. Employment Skills

4.1 Job Search

4.2 Job Performance & Attitudes

4.3 Employee Relations

4.4 Job Safety

Administration

Can be administered by one or more professionals.

Tasks can be rated as:

Independent/ Mastered : An item that is scored as independent is one that can be performed with good quality, on 75% or more of occasions it is needed or expected, and without being asked or reminded to do the task.

Partially Mastered: The student can perform the skill, but requires gestural, verbal, or physical prompting to meet with success.

Tasks that are unmarked/unchecked indicate lack of mastery, or skills that have not been started yet.

Example

(to be handed out in class)

Report Examples

To be handed out in class:• Description of CALS

• Summary of a Skill Module

Pros:

• Easy to administer

• Flexibility of administration: can choose to administer selected skill modules

• Allows opportunities for collaboration with related service providers, families, and home and community service providers

• Findings of assessment can easily be summarized using a strength perspective

• Inexpensive to purchase ($60.00)

• Can be used in conjunction with ALSC

• Adaptive behaviors cover the continuum of infancy to adulthood

Cons

• Time consuming to administer and to summarize in a report

• Some of the skill modules need to be updated

Information in this presentation obtained from the CALS manual by L. Morreau & R. Bruininks