Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA): A Performance-Based Assessment of Executive Function Piloted With At-Risk Adolescents Nikki Williamson Weiner, Joan Toglia, Christine Berg KEY WORDS  activities of daily living  adolescent development  executive function  task performance and analysis Nikki Williamson Weiner, OTD, OTR/L, is Occupational Therapist, CarePartners Health Services and Carolina Pediatric Therapy, Asheville, NC. Joan Toglia, PhD, OTR, is Professor and Program Director, Graduate Occupational Therapy Program, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY. Christine Berg, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor of Neurology and Occupational Therapy, Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis, 4444 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108; cberg@wustl.edu OBJECTIVE. We piloted the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA), a performance-based measure of executive function (EF), to establish a baseline for at-risk adolescents. METHOD. Participants were 113 youths ages 16–21 who were enrolled at a charter school for youth returning to high school after dropping out. We administered the WCPA and collected demographic information. RESULTS. On average, participants spent 15.9 min on the WCPA, made 7.9 errors, and followed 4.0 of 5 possible rules. No ceiling effect was observed in overall accuracy. Participants used a mean of 3.1 strategies (standard deviation 5 1.9) while completing the WCPA. Participants who used more strategies spent more time planning and completing the task and were more accurate. CONCLUSION. The WCPA may be useful to occupational therapists as a performance measure of EF. This assessment allows evaluation of complex task performance, strategy use, self-evaluation of performance, and error patterns, which can be used in developing intervention strategies. Weiner, N. W., Toglia, J., & Berg, C. (2012). Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA): A performance-based assessment of executive function piloted with at-risk adolescents. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66, 699–708. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2012.004754 E xecutive function (EF), associated with the frontal lobes of the brain, allows a person to adapt to novel situations and perform goal-oriented behavior (Burgess & Simons, 2005). EF, which manifests in childhood and continues to develop into early adulthood, “involve[s] maintenance of multiple goals and subgoals, with priorities that change over time requiring self-initiative, self- monitoring, and self regulation” (Lamberts, Evans, & Spikman, 2010, p. 57). EF represents complex and dynamic control processes that are often context dependent (Gioia, Kenworthy, & Isquith, 2010), so the measurement of its impact on everyday life is not straightforward. Cognition and Adolescence As environmental and task demands evolve between childhood and adolescence, the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, mirrors these changes, as evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging studies (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006; Paus, 2005). Developmentally, adolescence is a period of dramatic cognitive matu- ration and change. Forming an identity, choosing peer groups, and shifting opportunities for action (Gestsdottir & Lerner, 2008) are but a few examples of complex behaviors that the brain must execute as adulthood emerges. With EF development, including inhibitory control over impulses, increased attention and concentration, more self-control, and less distractibility or hyperactivity (Fuster, 2002), the typical adolescent is able to better navigate increasing task demands. Additionally, adolescents typically improve at decision making and The American Journal of Occupational Therapy 699 Downloaded from http://ajot.aota.org on 06/15/2020 Terms of use: http://AOTA.org/terms