Afls Assessment

• Personal hygiene (bathing, grooming, oral care, menstrual care)
• Dressing (selecting weather-appropriate clothing, laundry awareness)
• Eating and mealtime (using utensils, mealtime manners, food safety)
• Health and safety (taking medication, recognizing illness, basic first aid, emergency procedures)
• Sleeping routines (preparing for bed, waking to alarm)
• Personal information (stating name, address, phone number, identifying personal documents)

Number of Tasks: ~70 task-analyzed skills

2. Home Skills

Focus: Skills required to live in and maintain a home environment.

Skill Areas:

• Kitchen skills (preparing simple meals, using appliances, food storage, kitchen safety)
• Cleaning (sweeping, vacuuming, wiping surfaces, bathroom cleaning, laundry — sorting, washing, drying, folding)
• Home maintenance (changing light bulbs, plunging a toilet, basic tool use, yard care)
• Organization (maintaining bedroom, organizing belongings, managing personal space)
• Pet care (feeding, watering, basic pet hygiene)
• Home safety (locking doors, responding to smoke alarms, avoiding hazards)

Number of Tasks: ~65 task-analyzed skills

3. Community Participation Skills

Focus: Skills required to navigate and participate in community settings safely and independently.

Skill Areas:

• Pedestrian safety (crossing streets, using crosswalks, navigating parking lots)
• Public transportation (riding a bus, reading schedules, purchasing tickets)
• Shopping (creating lists, locating items, comparing prices, using checkout, handling money)
• Restaurant skills (ordering, paying, appropriate mealtime behavior)
• Community navigation (reading signs, using maps/GPS, asking for directions)
• Community safety (interacting with strangers, responding to emergencies, identifying unsafe situations)
• Recreational participation (accessing community facilities — library, gym, park)

Number of Tasks: ~75 task-analyzed skills

4. School Skills

Focus: Skills required for functioning in educational settings, from self-contained classrooms to inclusive environments.

Skill Areas:

• Classroom behavior (following routines, transitioning, managing materials)
• Academic engagement (completing assignments, requesting help, following multi-step instructions)
• Technology use (using computer/tablet for educational purposes, internet safety)
• Social behavior in school (interacting with peers, navigating cafeteria, recess)
• Self-advocacy (communicating needs to teachers, understanding accommodations)

Number of Tasks: ~55 task-analyzed skills

5. Independent Living Skills

Focus: Skills required for living with minimal or no supervision.

Skill Areas:

• Money management (counting money, making change, using debit card, budgeting, paying bills)
• Time management (reading clocks, using schedules, planning daily activities, meeting deadlines)
• Telephone/communication device use (making/answering calls, texting, using contacts)
• Scheduling appointments (medical, dental, social)
• Personal legal and financial documents (ID card, Social Security, bank accounts)
• Problem-solving daily challenges (what to do when locked out, when an item breaks, when plans change)
• Self-monitoring and self-management (using checklists, setting goals, evaluating own performance)

Number of Tasks: ~70 task-analyzed skills

6. Vocational Skills

Focus: Skills required for obtaining and maintaining employment.

Skill Areas:

• Work readiness (punctuality, attendance, following dress code, personal hygiene for work)
• Job-seeking (completing applications, interviewing, understanding job postings)
• Workplace social skills (greeting coworkers, asking supervisor for help, accepting feedback, break-time behavior)
• Task completion (following multi-step work instructions, staying on task, quality checking)
• Workplace safety (using PPE, reporting hazards, following safety protocols)
• Job-specific skills (varies by placement — task-analyze specific job duties)
• Self-advocacy at work (requesting accommodations, understanding rights)

Number of Tasks: ~60 task-analyzed skills

Scoring System

Each skill in the AFLS is task-analyzed and scored on a criterion-based system:

Scoring Guidelines

• Score based on the individual's BEST consistent performance, not a single trial
• Consider performance across settings (home, community, clinic) when assigning scores
• Distinguish between "can do" (has the skill but doesn't use it) and "does do" (uses the skill functionally in daily life) — score based on functional use
• Note if a skill is not applicable to the individual's current environment (e.g., vocational skills for a 12-year-old)

Administration

Methods

• Direct observation: Watch the individual perform the skill in the natural context. This is the preferred method for most AFLS tasks.
• Task performance: Set up the opportunity and ask the individual to perform the task (e.g., "Make a sandwich," "Count out $3.50").
• Caregiver/staff report: For skills that occur at home or in settings the assessor cannot access. Corroborate with observation when possible.
• Environmental simulation: When natural opportunities are limited, create simulated environments (e.g., mock grocery store, practice kitchen).

Administration Timeline

• Initial assessment: Select the module(s) most relevant to the individual's age, needs, and treatment priorities. Complete in 2-6 sessions depending on the individual's repertoire and the number of modules assessed.
• Reassessment: Every 6-12 months for modules under active programming.
• Ongoing tracking: Update individual task scores as mastery occurs during programming.

Assessment Environment

Assess in the natural environment whenever possible:

• Basic Living Skills → home, residential setting
• Home Skills → home, apartment
• Community Participation → community (with safety supports)
• School Skills → classroom
• Independent Living → home and community
• Vocational Skills → job site, simulated work environment

Linking Results to Treatment Goals

Priority Framework for Goal Selection

1. Safety-critical skills: Emergency procedures, pedestrian safety, identifying dangerous situations
2. Health and hygiene: Skills necessary for physical well-being
3. Communication and self-advocacy: Requesting help, stating needs, reporting problems
4. Daily independence: Skills that reduce dependence on caregivers for routine activities
5. Community access: Skills that expand the environments the individual can navigate
6. Vocational preparation: Skills that move toward employment readiness
7. Quality of life: Skills that increase recreational and social participation

Writing Treatment Goals from AFLS Results

For each skill scored 0-2, consider:

• Is this skill a current priority given the individual's age and living situation?
• Are prerequisite skills in place?
• Is the natural environment available for teaching?
• Will caregivers/staff support generalization?

Goal format: "Given [context/materials], [individual] will independently [specific AFLS task] across [settings/people/materials] with [criterion] accuracy for [number] consecutive probes."

When to Select AFLS Over Other Assessments

Combining AFLS with Other Assessments

For adolescents: Use VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R for language/academic areas + AFLS for daily living and community skills. For adults: Use AFLS as the primary assessment. Supplement with the EFL (Essentials for Living) for individuals with severe disabilities. For transition-age youth (14-22): Use AFLS modules aligned with transition IEP domains.

Practical Considerations

• Cultural sensitivity: Some skills are culture-specific (meal preparation, grooming standards, community norms). Adapt assessment and goal selection to the individual's cultural context.
• Caregiver involvement: AFLS goals require caregiver and community support for generalization. Include caregivers in goal selection and teaching.
• Natural environment teaching: Most AFLS skills are best taught in situ. Clinic-based instruction alone is insufficient.
• Task analysis modification: The AFLS provides general task analyses, but individual learners may need modified or expanded task analyses based on their specific needs and environments.

Key References

• Partington, J. W., & Mueller, M. M. (2012). The Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS). Behavior Analysts, Inc.
• Partington, J. W., & Mueller, M. M. (2015). AFLS guide: Strategies for developing functional living skills. Behavior Analysts, Inc.
• Lerman, D. C., Hawkins, L., Hillman, R., Shireman, M., & Nissen, M. A. (2015). Adults with autism spectrum disorder as behavior technicians for young children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48, 233–256.
• Luiselli, J. K. (2014). Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Strategies for Assessment, Instruction, and Vocational Development. Oxford University Press.