"All About Me" Occupational Therapy Screening Tool

Use this quick screening tool to gather critical data about your students. This tool will help you gather information about writing, coloring, design copy, writing lists, body awareness, letter formation and recognition and following directions.

Teachers and therapists are bombarded with dozens of new students at the beginning of the school year. It can take days or weeks to fully get to know the strengths and needs of each learner.  A quick screening tool can help organize information about each student.  It can be used throughout the year as a measure of progress.  The All About Me screening tool not only helps gather data, it is a great way to get to know your students a little better as they begin their school year.

DESCRIPTION

The All About Me Back to School Quick Screening Tool is a one page information sheet used to gather information about your students.  With this tool you can gather the following data:

• Name
• Age of student, grade
• Birthday
• Self portrait
• Favorite color
• Top five favorite activities
• Three favorite things about school (includes a word bank)
• Design copy task
• Writing prompt – my wish for the school year

Skills addressed:

• Name/word writing – pencil grasp, letter formation/sizing/spacing/line placement
• Data recall
• Coloring – inside the lines, percentage of coverage, attention to detail
• Drawing – self portrait gives important clues to body awareness, creativity, and visual motor skills
• Copying designs
• Writing from a prompt – creative writing, open ended thinking, higher level writing skills
• List making
• Copying words from a model
• Visual perception, figure ground, sequencing
• Erasing skills – critical skill for writing tasks

How to use this quick screener tool:

• Give this screener quarterly to gather information about progress
• Modify the screener for different levels of students – beginners might only be able to do a couple of the tasks, or may need to dictate their answers, while more advanced students may be able to work independently
• Enlarge the sheet for early level learners
• Project the screener on a board to demonstrate and point out items as needed
• Vary the amount of help you choose to give your learners – a true screener would offer no help.  Levels of assistance might include reading the directions, demonstration, step by step tasks, or examples

Document:

• Level of independence
• Attention to detail, focus
• Accuracy of work
• Task initiation/completion
• Compliance
• Letter formation, sizing, spacing, line placement
• Hand dominance, pencil grasp, pressure on paper/pencil
• Bilateral hand use
• Knowledge – kindergarten students should verbally know their name, birthday, address, and phone number, and be able to draw a rudimentary self portrait

This great screener tool will be a useful way to gather critical information about students, while understanding their skill level.