Use the Assessment of Language-Related Functional Activities (ALFA) to assess language-related functional activities for persons 16 years and older. The ALFA is given individually in about 30 to 90 minutes and consists of 10 subtests, each of which assess a different functional activity: Telling Time, Counting Money, Addressing an Envelope, Solving Daily Math Problems, Writing a Check/Balancing a Checkbook, Understanding Medicine Labels, Using a Calendar, Reading Instructions, Using the Telephone, and Writing a Phone Message.
The patient actually performs each functional activity, and you record an objective, quantitative score. The ALFA helps you meet the daily, front-line need to quickly and conveniently assess patients’ functional language-related activities. The ALFA’s subtests require use of all language modalities: auditory comprehension, verbal expression, reading and writing, as well as cognitive and motor skills. Also, the test allows you to observe multiple cognitive processes, which can sometimes eliminate the need to administer specialized tests for the assessment of certain areas. You will find the ALFA useful in a variety of patient settings such as in- and outpatient rehabilitation programs, subacute rehabilitation programs, foster care homes, nursing homes, home health care, and others.
The ALFA was standardized on 495 patients between the ages of 20-0 and 95-11 who have had a history of neurological episodes, as well as 150 “normally” functioning adults. All reliability coefficients were over .74, 80% were over .80. The test correlates with the RCBA’s Functional Reading Subtest. Patients undergoing treatment showed improved scores on the ALFA.
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