Assessments: Should COTAs do them?

The question this week is "Should COTAs be allowed to do assessments especially in the pediatric setting?" According to the NCBOT Practice Act & Rules (Section .0905 Delineation of Clinical Responsibilities) and the AOTA's Standards of Practice (Standard II: Screening, Evaluation and Re-Evaluation), both documents state that OTAs contribute to the evaluation process by performing delegated assessments in which service competency has been established. So legally we CAN perform assessments but SHOULD we? If we are talking about standardized assessments, there is no reason we should not be allowed to perform them in any setting, including pediatrics. The whole design of a standardized test is to have specific protocols of administration and scoring to gather the most objective data possible. As such, it is training and experience that produces expertise in administrating a standardized assessment and not the level of education of the administrator. Pros and Cons of Tools for Doing Assessments lists various methods of assessments in the school setting, standardized assessments are one way OTAs can help gather information on a child. The direct observation in the classroom is another method that needs more skill and interpretation but that is not to say that OTAs cannot contribute in this area also, given experience and a sound collaborative relationship with the supervising OT. As with any area of practice, it is not so much whether or not an OTA SHOULD do something or not in all instances but rather in any practice setting, has service competency been established and is there proper supervision.