Kitchen Task Assessment 

Title of Assessment 

• Kitchen Task Assessment 

Author(s) 

• Carolyn Baum, Dorothy F. Edwards, Kristy Rocke, Paige Hays, and Christine Berg

Year of Publication/Publisher 

• 2008

• American Journal of Occupational Therapy

Identify Type of Assessment 

• performance-based rating scale

Cost (identify source) & How to Access Assessment (include link if possible) 

• can be used without a fee but materials could cost money if not owned prior. 

Population (who it is appropriate for [age, diagnosis, etc.])  

• adults with senile dementia (Alzheimer's ) 

• ages 53-84 with severe dementia 

Appropriate Settings (potential practice settings appropriate to administer assessment in) 

•  living in a community with a caregiver or in a kitchen

• inpatient, home health, outpatient 

Purpose of Assessment & Function(s)/Area(s) Assessed  

• This assessment focuses on measuring organization, planning, judgment, and safety skills demonstrated in a common food preparation task. Provides information on levels of assistance needed and can record changes in function. Initiation, organization, performing all steps, proper sequence, judgment, safety, and completion are the areas being assessed.  

Administration (time to administer, group/individual, if there are subtests, can they be completed individually, are there specific instructions to ensure standardization, etc.) 

• 15-20 minutes

• The client is instructed and observed while making cooked pudding mix. Administer assistance is necessary for a successful experience. 

User Qualifications  

• no training required 

Materials Required  

•   score sheet, pudding mix, saucepan, kitchen utensils, dishes, soap, paper towels, instructions that are printed on paper in large letters

Scoring Procedure (how is assessment scored and what does score indicate)  

• Score of 0 (independent), 1 (verbal assistance), 2 (physical assistance), or 3 (totally incapable). total scores range from 0-18, where higher scores indicate impaired performance.

Psychometrics/Standardization (norms, reliability/validity studies) 

• interrater reliability was 0.853 for a total score and category scores ranged from 0.632. construct validity was based on significant correlations with a variety of cognitive and dementia tests. high correlation coefficients (0.72-0.84). 

Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment  

•   strengths

  • assesses cognition in performing functional tasks

  • discriminates performance of person across all stages of dementia

  • provides level of assistance needed

  • can be done in client's home or clinical setting

  • inexpensive

• weaknesses

  • lack of variability

  • does not account for assistive devices

  • no normative data

References 

• Asher, I. E. (2014). Asher's occupational therapy assessment tools: An annotated index. American Occupational Therapy Association.

• Baum, C., & Edwards, D. (1993). Cognitive performance in senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type: The Kitchen Task Assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47, 431-436. Cognitive Performance in Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type: The Kitchen Task Assessment | The American Journal of Occupational Therapy | American Occupational Therapy Association (aota.org)