The Cognitive Abilities Profile (CAP) toolkit
The Cognitive Abilities Profile (CAP) toolkit consists of:
- The CAP Administration and Scoring Manual
- CAP Record Forms (a pack of 20)
- Summary Forms (a pad of 40)
Taken together, these three elements will provide you with the essential framework and guidance to enable you to carry out a CAP assessment, record, summarise and put in place an effective intervention plan (IP).
This important Cognitive Abilities Profile (CAP) toolkit is grounded in developmental psychology and underpinned by dynamic assessment (DA) and metacognitive approaches to teaching and learning. For example, it emphasises the importance of metacognition in teaching and learning, which has been widely shown in modern education research to be a key factor in the understanding of what works most effectively in the classroom.
How does it work?
The comprehensive CAP Administration and Scoring Manual will introduce you to the CAP and its general guidelines, followed by a detailed section-by-section scoring guide that will give you step-by-step guidance on exactly how to fill out each part of the Record Form.
When you have completed your Record Form, the manual will show you how to create a Summary Form profile and IP from a Record Form. In this way, the Summary Form will enable you to distil all of the vital Record Form information into a one-page summary profile and IP.
How you interpret the CAP and the types of intervention strategies that you employ are followed by a number of case studies and sample profiles to give you a flavour of exactly what you should be aiming for.
CAP Training delivered by Dr Ruth Deutsch
Our CAP course is delivered as a series of four webinars. These courses tend to fill up, so we recommend booking sooner rather than later!
Find out more about the CAP course.
The manual
The CAP manual has taken the unique benefits of both the DA and mediated learning experience (MLE) – adapting them for use in consultations and solution-focused frameworks. It supports process-oriented interventions and promotes the active participation of parents and learners in delivering the person-centred approach mandated by the SEN Code of Practice.
The CAP course is designed to train professionals in the comprehensive use of the CAP manual (and the forms that make up the toolkit). This detailed evidence-based tool for consultation and structured data collection can be used by a range of professionals, including:
- Educational and clinical psychologists.
- Therapists.
- SENCOs and specialist teachers.
The advantage of the approach set out in this guidance manual, is that it is not a psychometric test with age-specific norms. This makes its use particularly appropriate for a wider variety of students and is not limited to school/academic settings. Within the new SEN legislative framework, it can be used for students from early years into adulthood and is a particularly flexible tool that adapts seamlessly to the new extended age range for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) up to the age of 25 years.
The CAP manual's content
The CAP manual's content
The CAP manual is made up of several explanatory sections:
- Chapter 1: the introduction explains the theoretical background, purposes and aims of the CAP.
- Chapters 2–5: the scoring guides for Sections A, B and C provide the instructions for scoring each section of the profile, with detailed definitions, descriptions and examples of each of the scoring items.
- Chapter 6: the summary, intervention and follow-up describe how the three sections A, B and C are combined and how targets are selected to incorporate in the learner’s intervention plan (IP) and how to construct a follow-up profile.
- Chapter 7: interpretation of the CAP is discussed.
- Chapter 8: intervention strategies are explored.
- Chapter 9: case studies and worked examples of the CAP demonstrate its completion and use – the journey from profile to intervention is also examined.
- Chapter 10: the research conducted over the course of the development of the CAP is surveyed.
Why buy the CAP toolkit?
Why buy the CAP toolkit?
It is a key step-by-step resource that you will be able to use in your everyday practice. This versatile and effective toolkit will enable you to gather information; analyse and summarise data; monitor progress; and determine the next learning steps for children/young people and those working with them.
As a major part of the toolkit, the manual is made up of four parts which can be used in various combinations – according to the needs of the student and the goals of the assessor. Each section focuses on a different aspect of the learner’s cognitive abilities in relation to the learning situation or context. Most usefully, each section correlates directly with parts of the Record Form and Summary Form.
The four main manual sections and their relationship to the forms are set out below:
- Section A – cognitive abilities: the intellective cognitive abilities of the learner and their non-intellective learning habits and behaviours (Section A of the Record Form).
- Section B – the learner’s response to teaching and mediation (Section B of the Record Form).
- Section C – task analysis and the context of learning (Section C of the Record Form).
- Section D – summary profile (intervention plan (IP)) (Summary Form).
The CAP toolkit will give you a comprehensive assessment structure from which to work. It will not only act as a vital reference point, but will also provide a practical guide for all of the CAP assessments that you carry out after you have completed the course.
Are you eligible?
Are you eligible?
You have to be an educational psychologist or a specialist teacher to use the profile.
We define specialist teachers as qualified teachers (QTS or HE equivalent) who have additional qualifications in teaching or the assessment of children with additional needs (typical roles they might have are SENCO, specialist, advisory or consulting teachers).
How much does it cost?
How much does it cost?
You can purchase the CAP Toolkit from the Dyslexia Action Shop.
The toolkit includes which includes the CAP Administration and Scoring Manual, summary and record forms and a branded satchel, costs £350 + VAT. Additional CAP Record and Summary Forms can be ordered via the Dyslexia Action shop website.
An additional pack of CAP Record Forms costs £55 + VAT.
An extra pack of CAP Summary Forms costs £35 + VAT.
Please note
We advise our delegates to purchase a CAP toolkit before they attend the CAP course.
Find out more about our CAP course.
Speak to us (01273 358080) or send us a message.