The Jacobs Inventory of Functional Skills (JIFS)
The Jacobs Inventory of Functional Skills (JIFS) was designed to meet the challenge of evaluating and treating the developmentally delayed population. The main objective is to show what an individual can do now, and what he or she could do with support, intervention and encouragement. There are two sections to the JIFS. The Life Skills section is organized to aid the therapist and/or caregiver in the ongoing encouragement of functional skill acquisition. The Foundation Skills section can aid the therapist in identifying the physiological reason for limited skills, making it a unique assessment tool for occupational therapists working with children and adults who are developmentally delayed, or any other population which does not fit into the peg hole of other assessment tools.
The JIFS is not stardardized. It has be suggested to do so, but I do not plan on standardizing it. My main reason for this has to do with the realities of the developmentally delayed population or other such challenging populations. The JIFS recognizes that in many cases the developmentally delayed individual will never be 100% accurate or independent for some, if not all, tasks. What we have to acknowledge is that one does not have to be perfect to be functional. Having a percentile for performance means nothing to the individual or those caring for and working with them. TRUE STORY: The harshness of this first struck me when working at an outpatient pediatric clinic. Evaluations were done annually to keep track of progress. One year a mother told me she dreaded that time of year. Her reason was that even though her child was making clear, functional progress, it was not at a normal rate. Therefore the child's percentile scores went down every year. The mother and I were proud of the wonderful progress her child had made, yet the score showed a decline. Often funding sources or insurance agencies only look at the scores and percentiles. It doesn't look very promising when the numbers go down every year.
The JIFS was designed to focus on progress, improvement, what someone can do now, not that he or she is only getting farther and farther behind peers of the same chronological age.
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UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE JIFS |
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It uses a FIVE-POINT SCORING SYSTEM with the highest rating of 5 being functional, either with or without adaptive equipment. It is not felt that the use of adaptive equipment in order to be more independent should be a reason to penalize someone when scoring their functional status. |
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It has a separate LAMENATED RATING SCALE CARD for easy reference during testing. I've done enough evaluations with lower functioning individuals to know that something handy and washable is a must. |
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The OTR Edition includes a special SCREENING TOOL which can save time and money. |
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The Life Skills tasks can be used in TREATMENT PLANNING since the JIFS is non-stardardized. |
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Most skill areas in the Life Skills section include "other", so that it can be CUSTOMIZED to meet the specific needs of the individual. |
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The skills in the Foundation section use REAL LIFE, MEANINGFUL TASKS to evaluate level of functioning. When working with someone of low cognitive abilities, artificial tasks have no meaning and will not reflect true level of functioning |
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What have you found to be unique about the JIFS? Let me know! |
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What ages and populations have you found the JIFS to be useful with? Tell me! |
There are two editions of the JIFS: the Life Skills Edition and the OTR Edition.
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Life Skills Edition |
OTR Edition |
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The Life Skills edition can be used by a variety of professionals and managers who are responsible for the treatment and care of individuals with developmental delays, e.g., OTRs, COTAs, licensed nurse practitioners, social workers, special educators or case managers. |
The OTR Edition can only be used by registered occupational therapists or qualified COTAs, as the subject areas require understanding of physiology, sensory and motor systems. The OT should also have experience working with developmentally delayed population and have a good understanding of how perceptual and motor skills translate to functional skills. |
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The Life Skills Edtition includes the Life Skills section. |
The OTR Edition includes the Life Skills section and the Foundation Skills section. |
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The Life Skills section covers: |
The Foundation Skills section looks at: |
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Self-Help: eating, dressing, bathing/hygiene, grooming, toileting |
Sensory Integration: ocular-motor, visual-perception, auditory, tactile, olfactory/gustatory, vestibular, proprioception, body schema |
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Home Management: meal preparation, laundering (SAMPLE), house cleaning/home maintenance, telephone usage |
Neuromotor Status, muscle tone, strength, range of motion, reflex integration, static postural control, bilateral coordination, motor planning |
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Work Readiness/Cognition: attention, organization/sequencing, following directions, behavioral issues, memory, problem solving, visual-motor integration skills |
Fine Motor Skills (SAMPLE) |
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Community Tasks: shopping, banking, post office, leisure activities, public transportation/travel |
Oral Motor Skills. |
The Life Skills starter package includes: |
The OTR starter package includes: |
You save $7.50! |
You save $13.00! |
Sound like the perfect assessment tool for your needs? It is simple to order. Order on line or print out the order form to fax or mail to Strategies for Better Functioning, LLC. You can get starter packages, just a manual, or additional scoring forms. If you have the JIFS and want to upgrade to the e-JIFS, all you need to order is the CD.
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