Miller Function and Participation Scales (M-FUN)

Title of Assessment 

• Miller Function and Participation Scales (M-FUN)

Author(s) 

•  Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Year of Publication/Publisher 

•  2006

• PsychCorp & NCS Pearson Inc.

Identify Type of Assessment 

•  criterion-referenced

• standardized

• norm-referenced

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

•  M-FUN - Miller Function and Participation Scales | Pearson Assessments US 

• prices vary depending on needs (kits, forms and reports, materials, etc.)

• complete printed kit with manipulatives= $621.40

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

• 2.0-7.11 years old

• children with lower motor-function skills

• any diagnoses with motor impairments  

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

• home health

• school-based

• early intervention (EI)

• outpatient/Inpatient OT

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

•   The M-FUN assesses a child's ability to perform functional activities by assessing their motor functioning. Motor functioning is assessed to see how it has impacted their engagement in daily activities at home, school, and any leisure play. This assessment assesses visual, fine, and gross motor delays and helps to address any eligibility to receive treatment services for these delays. This assessment can be used to address motor abilities and how they will benefit from different modifications and adaptations in natural environment whether that be school or home.

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

•  20-30 minutes per subtest

• 45-60 minutes for entire assessment 

• must be administered individually with the administer and caregiver if necessary

• involves 15 activities for 2-5.11-year-olds and 16 activities for 6-7.11-year-olds.

User Qualifications  

• OT

• PT

• EI specialists

• Special education teachers

• adaptive physical education 

Materials Required  

• test/score booklet and forms

• Origami templates

  • • Ages 2:6–3:11 (Chick and Owl)

    • Ages 4:0–7:11 (Dog and Fish)

• Large preschool-sized bright marker or highlighter with a pointed (not wedged) tip

• Ball, approximately tennis ball-sized

• Stopwatch or watch or clock with a second hand; used for timing responses

• Child’s bank or an empty mixed nuts can with lid, with a coin slot on the top of the bank or can, approximately 1" in length and 1/16"wide (make sure there are no sharp edges on the can; line the rim with masking tape if needed)

• Red felt-tipped pen, medium point

• Child-sized scissors

• 18" string

• #2 pencil

• Colored modeling clay or soft therapeutic putty (shaped into four ping-pong-sized balls) (one small pot of one color) * Allergen Information: Does not contain corn, dairy/casein, egg, gelatin, gluten, latex, nuts, soy or wheat.

• Three 8-ounce plastic glasses

• 2 to 4 napkins

• Medium-sized metal spoon (tablespoon); do not use a serving spoon (too large) or teaspoon (too small)

• Two terrycloth washcloths

• Clear adhesive tape (3/4" wide)

• Masking tape (3/4" wide)

• Three 4" x 4" mats made from non-slip material

• 10 pennies

• 20-ounce bottle of water

• Bite-sized snack crackers in a zip-closure clear sandwich bag. Check with the child’s caregiver to ensure the child has no food allergies 

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

•  Each response a child gives they are given points for the different aspects of motor skill demonstrated. The record form holds the criteria for how actions should be scored. Scores can range from 0-3

  • • 0= unable to perform behavior

    • 3= mastery of skill 

• Scaled scores will range from 1-19 with 7-13 being one standard deviation above and below the mean for the typical performance of skill. 

  • • below 7= below average

    • above 13= above average 

• checklists involved in this assessment are scored on a qualitative scale:

  • • almost always successful

    • frequently successful

    • occasionally successful

    • seldom successful

    • not observed

      • • average

        • below average

        • far below average

Psychometrics/Standardization (norms, reliability/validity studies) 

• corrected reliability coefficients .77 for visual and gross motor and .82 for fine motor

• internal consistency reliability is .85 for visual motor, .90 for fine motor, and .92 for gross motor

Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment  

•    strengths

  • quick to administer 

•  weaknesses

  •  costly

References 

• Miller, L. (2006). Miller function & participation scales: Examiner’s manual. Pearson. 

• Shirely Ryan Ability Lab. (2017, April 14). Miller function and participation scales. https://www.sralab.org/rehabilitation-measures/miller-function-participation-scales