A safe and effective activity plan only works right when the methods are tailored to fit the cognitively disabled person into the complexities of real life. The necessary modifications are identified in the familiar biopsychosocial framework.
- Can do learning and memory abilities are measured by the Allen Cognitive Levels (ACLs). The latest refinements highlight global reductions in aroused attention, information processing speed, and sustained attention time. Abnormal biology causes reductions but also leaves remaining abilities to remember and do activities. The challenge has always been to find what they can do without stumbling into what they cannot do. Better definitions of aroused attention and causing effects with additional measures of response time and attention span are accompanied by ratings of realistic and pleasant experiences that make sense to a person with a cognitive disability. That is the good news. The bad news for administrators is that we have become very fussy and demanding about supplies.
- Will do actions and activities are defined by the person's obsolete identity, which is at the root of so many conflicts between those actions and activities that the person thinks they can and should do and the ones they really can still do. The new definitions mean that the actions and activities that they really can do are known and can be produced with confidence and flexibility. Occupational therapists can accept the person's old identity because they know how to modify actions and activity so that the person will be happy doing them.
- May do schedules and supplies depend on family, government and taxpayer support, especially funding. Everyone needs to be educated about the perspective of a person with a cognitive disability. Their worldviews, plus the medical, legal, and advocacy group perspectives have been written up as general public, educational materials. They can be downloaded and modified to suit different audiences. Demonstrations of doing pleasant actions and activities are the best way to build empathy and compassionate funding.
The clarified definitions produced a lot of methodology with greater specificity and more explicit instructions, supervision requirements, and supply recommendations. The Allen App has downloads of simple, adult pictures and designs to copy, colour, fill in and cut. Appendixes of action and activity analysis by the 25 ACL modes identify explicit physical actions to demonstrate and material objects to set-up so that you get the person's attention and sustain it with precision the first time.