Testing staff members, family members and students is asking for trouble, especially when you use a single activity to predict a pattern of performance.

When students know that an activity is a test of their ability to function, they panic. Staff members are embarrassed. Explaining test anxiety seldom does a bit of good.

You are apt to get a better education about the folly of depending on a single test score than you want to learn the hard way.

You may hold objects for them or anchor them down.

People do not seem to pay any attention to which hand you use to demonstrate. If you are left handed, go ahead and demonstrate with your left hand. If they are left handed, ignore it.

Colouring is the easiest activity to modify by giving them a large crayon. Larger tiles can be made and follow the same designs for copying. The moving test can use a larger dowel stick.

Each person brings memories, knowledge, cultures, and languages to the testing situation.

Common procedural memories are assumed in ACL 3 and 4 tests for actions such as holding a crayon. They are done automatically, at a semiconscious level of thought.

Ruling out a higher ability to function is a process of elimination. The need to have the opportunity to do their best, but the cost cannot be too high when the tested ability is above their mental capacity.

Elimination of a higher cognitive ability is risky because frustrating the person is highly likely. Be prepared to stop the activity and offer them something else that they can do or a glass of water immediately.

Verification of a pattern of performance requires observation of different activities at different times of day for longer periods of time.

You need to be super alert because the test is measuring: response time, sustained attention and aroused attention. In addition, impairments (vision, hearing, arthritis) and distractions (hallucinations, dogs barking, and loud speakers) can produce inconsistencies. A single short activity needs further verification.

The ACLs measure aroused attention, sustained attention time and information processing speed. All three are included in the ACLS-6 in a modified clinical format.

Aroused attention is used to select activities. Not paying attention is usually an indication that the activity is too hard for the person.

Response time starts after you complete the initial directions and ends after they complete the first action. Response time is a practical, clinical measure of information processing speed.

A person's refusal to do anything that looks like a test can turn into a significant challenge. A childhood onset of a cognitive disability tends to produce bad experiences with tests. Doing an activity that does not look like a test is a big help. Do not say or think the word "test".

Taking a few minutes to talk a new person, when they can talk, is time well invested. A relaxed conversation often gains cooperation and provides better information than standardised interviews and self-reports.

The time of day can influence the person's ability to function. The morning, after breakfast, seems to be the time of day that most people function at their best. Midafternoon seems to be second best.

Try to avoid times when the person looks tired or stressed. If you think that the time of day influenced the ACL score, further observations are required. You should schedule them to test your assumption that they do better at one time of day than another time.