The levels, profiles and modes apply the same definitions of sensorimotor information. The modes and profiles describe qualities of information. Within the modes and profiles, what makes sense to the person is applied to a selection of ordinary activities to describe a predicted pattern of activity performance.
Different ACL scores while doing different actions or activities are usually in adjacent modes and need further observations in equivalent actions or activities. It is important to establish a pattern of performance of the person's global ability to function.
Differences of more than two modes are usually explained by procedural memories or prior knowledge. For the higher score, ask if they have done something like this before.
Because the ACLs is not an interval or ratio scale, you cannot average the scores. You have to be able to explain the score and the reason behind any and all fluctuations in order to make reasonable predictions.
Some diagnosis may have the effect of producing fluctuations and inconsistencies in the person's ability to function. The term "best ability to function" was used in the past to describe the ACL score. I prefer to use the term "pattern of performance" to account for such inconsistencies. Diagnosis like Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger Syndrome have often been observed to have a preferred ability to function where they function most of the time but when pushed with prompts like, "Is yours like mine?" they can function a few modes higher. Diagnosis like vascular dementia can also have fluctuations in their pattern of performance. Noting such fluctuations is important in establishing the person's pattern of performance. Once you understand the person's pattern of performance than you have the means to assist the person.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents a totally different problem. The amount of oxygen that goes to the brain changes during the course of a day. There is a corresponding change in the functional ability of the person. I first became acutely aware of it while I was visiting with my father, and I first noticed a change in his balance. He was 6'3" tall and steady in the morning, but he got wobbly as the day progressed. He didn't have an oxygen tank, and a decrease in oxygen didn't occur to me for a couple of days. I must have considered everything else I could think of during those two days, and I was definitely trying. He was a big, impulsive man and set in his ways, and had brittle bones too, i.e. he was a perfect candidate for a broken hip. When I finally made the connections between low oxygen, wobbly, and lower functional ability, I had a specific time of day for him. I targeted getting supper as the most dangerous activity time for him and managed to get him to make a few changes then.