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ADOLESCENT ROLE ASSESSMENT

Black, M. M. (1976). Adolescent Role Assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 30, 73–79.

CHILDHOOD--PLAY
Activities
Kids spend a lot of time playing. When you were a child what was your favorite age and why?
What kinds of things did you like to do? Alone or with friends?
Scoring:
+——Identifies favorite age and names activity.
0——Hesitant or vague response.
———Unable to identify a favorite age, pessimistic.

Rules
What games or physical sports did you do as a child? Did you play team games or other games with
rules?
Scoring:
+——Identifies games with rules.
0——Vague or only games without rules.
———No games or sports.

Interactions
As a child, did you play with kids your own age, other than brothers and sisters?
Scoring:
+——Able to interact with peers of same age.
0——Vague or marginal interaction.
———No interaction or inability to interact without fights.

Fantasy
When you were a kid, did you daydream or have make—believe friends or make— believe games? Did
you dream about what you would be when you grew up?
Scoring:
-i——Identifies fantasy.
0——Vague, not sure.
———Can identify no fantasy.

Role Models
When you were a kid how did you learn to do things, such as ride a bike, tell time, drive a car?
Did you teach yourself, learn from parents, friends, brothers, sisters?
Scoring:
+—--Identifies role models.
0——Vague or difficult- remembering.
———Unable to do skills or unable to identify role models.

Interests
Sometimes, as people grow, their interests change. What kind of interests did you have as a kid? How do
those interests compare with current interests?
Scoring:
+——Identifies childhood interests, able to discriminate from current interests.
0——Few interests, same as now.
———Lack of childhood interests
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ADOLESCENT SOCIALIZATION——FAMILY
Interactions
Teenagers often hassle with their families. How would you describe your relationship with your family?
Do you do anything to agitate your family? What are the positive qualities about your family? Negative
qualities?
Scoring:
+——Relatively positive relationship, recognizes strengths and weaknesses.
0——Moderate relationship with vague recognition of strengths and weaknesses.
———Negative relationship with no recognition of positive qualities.

Responsibilities
What kinds of responsibilities do you have at home? Are these responsibilities reasonable? Do you
usually do them on time?
Scoring:
+——Age and sex—appropriate responsibilities, usually completed on time.
0——Lack of clarity of responsibilities, occasionally completed on time.
———No responsibilities, inappropriate responsibilities, or refusal to do appropriate
responsibilities.

Economics
How do you obtain spending money? Are you satisfied with the amount and arrangement for obtaining it?
Who decides how you will spend it?
Scoring:
+——Manages own money.
0——Vague plan for obtaining money with few personal decisions on amount or where spent.
———No plan for obtaining money or no personal decisions on how it is spent.

ADOLESCENT SOCIALIZATION——SCHOOL
Consistent Behavior
What grade are you in? What kinds of grades do you achieve? Throughout your life as a student, have
your grades been consistent?
Scoring:
+——Consistent grades of average to high range.
0——Average to low range of grades, some drop in consistency.
———All low grades or significant drop in consistency.

Responsibilities
Are you usually prepared for class with assignments completed on time? Do you attend your classes?
Are you often late? Do you study regularly after school? Do you only study for tests?
Scoring:
+——Class attendance regular, usually prepared, regular study schedule.
0——Occasionally late for class, occasionally unprepared for class, studies mainly for tests.
———Often unprepared, often misses classes, few study habits.
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Feedback
Are you satisfied with your school performance? What could you do to improve your school experience?
Do you ever follow your teacher’s suggestions on improvement?
Scoring:
+——Identifies ways to improve, uses feedback.
0——Recognizes improvement potential, but has difficulty using feedback or identifying ways
to improve.
——--Denies improvement potential or does not use feedback.

Acceptance and Role Models

Are you treated fairly by teachers? Are you ever removed from class for your conduct? Do you have any
favorite teachers? If so, what qualities make them your favorites?
Scoring:
+——Usually fair treatment, conforms to norms, identifies positive qualities in a teacher. -
0——Questionable treatment, occasionally removed from class.
———Unfair treatment, often removed from class, or no positive qualities in teachers.

Activities
What activities are you involved in at school? What activities do you do with your friends (include
clubs)? What activities do you do alone?
Scoring:
+——Several activities mentioned, age and sex appropriate.
0——Hesitation with few activities or some inappropriate activities.
———No activities or many inappropriate activities.

ADOLESCENT SOCIALIZATION——PEERS
Activities
After school, are you usually alone? With one friend? With a group? Are your friends older? Same age?
Younger? What do you like about your social situation? that do you dislike?
Scoring:
+——Positive relationship.
0——Mixed feelings about relationship or many friends older or younger.
———Poor relationship, friezes older or younger.

Time
How many hours a week do you spend in the following activities? How do you decide upon your time
schedule? Do you usually complete activities? Is scheduling a problem for you?
Schoolwork (outside school) Dating
Reading for pleasure Hanging around talking with
Watching television friends
Doing nothing Playing tennis, swimming, etc.
Day dreaming
Other
Working
Making yourself and your clothes look good

Scoring:
+——Balanced, completed activities with no scheduling problems.
0——Concentrated time spent in a few activities, some incomplete activities, or some scheduling
difficulties.
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———No activities or multiple disjointed activities without completion, serious scheduling

difficulties
Community
What do you know about your neighborhood? Where is the nearest food store, park, library?
If public transportation is available, do you know how to use it?
Scoring:
+——Knowledge of community.
0——Vague
—No Knowledge of community.

ADOLESCENT——OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE
Work Attitudes
Have you ever worked? What kinds of work have you done? What did you like about working? What did
you dislike? From your experience, what are your attitudes toward work in general (i.e., necessary evil,
valuable opportunity, etc.)

(Score only for those with work experience.)

Scoring:
+——Positive attitudes
0——Mixed attitudes
———Negative attitudes

Stage of Choice
What occupation would you like to enter? How did you make this selection? What are your plans for
further education or training? Do you know anyone in this occupation? What occupation do you think you
will actually be in ten years from now?
Scoring:
+——Selection based on interests, capacities, or values with some plans for implementation.
0——Selection based on fantasy or interests with few implementation plans, may be role model
and recognition that actual occupation is more realistic than idealized occupation.
———No selection or selection based on fantasy with no role model or no plans for
implementation.

ADULTHOOD——WORK
Goals
When you think about your future what things do you think will be important to you (i.e., money, free
time, feeling young, career, family, etc.)? How can you prepare yourself for those goals?
Scoring:
+——Some ideas on goals with preparation ideas.
0——Vague ideas on goals.
———Not future—oriented, has no goals or no preparation ideas.

Fantasy
If your future could be whatever you wanted, what would you want? If you could change anything in the
world, what would you change? When you daydream, what do you dream about?
Scoring:
+——Able to fantasize about future.
0——Some fantasizing, but minimal.
———Unable to fantasize, very concrete.
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ADOLESCENT ROLE ASSESSMENT — SCORING SHEET

I. Childhood-Play + 0 - III. Adolescent-

1. Activities Occupational Choice + 0 -
2. Rules 18. Work
3. Interactions 19. Choice Stage
4. Fantasy
5. Role Models
6. Interests

II. Adolescent-Socialization IV. Adulthood— Work

A. Family
7. Interactions 20. Goals
8. Responsibilities 21. Fantasy
9. Economics

B. School
10. Consistency
11. Responsibilities
12. Feedback
13. Role Models
14. Activities

C. Peers
15. Activities
16. Time
17. Community

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

Behavioral Observations

Strengths

Weaknesses

Goals