The Menu Task

The Menu Task is intended to be a brief, transdiagnostic, performance-based screening measure of functional cognition. Functional cognition is defined as an individual’s “ability to use and integrate thinking and performance skills to accomplish complex everyday activities” (Giles, Edwards, Morrison, Baum, & Wolf, 2017, p.1). Performance-based measures of functional cognition stand on the borderline of cognition and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and typically take the form of a simulated IADL task (Giles et al., 2017; Wolf, Edwards, & Giles, 2019). The Menu Task is a screening task intended to help identify those at risk for functional cognitive impairment and who may need more comprehensive assessment (Al-Heizan, Giles, Wolf, & Edwards, 2018; Edwards et al., 2019; Marks et al., 2021). Further testing with an appropriate measure of functional cognition may identify impairment severe enough to compromise IADL essential for community independence, triggering further occupational therapy intervention or other support services. Since 2016, with the assistance of OT students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Dorothy Farrar Edwards, Dr. Gordon Muir Giles, and PhD student Tim Marks have tested the psychometric properties of the Menu Task in a community-based sample of over 500 participants and are now moving to validate the test in two acute care hospitals. We are currently examining the need for age or education scoring adjustments and we may institute new scoring guidelines in the future.

The Menu Task is provided for those with appropriate training and experience in test administration to use as a screening measure of functional cognition. You may reprint the test forms and instructions. However, you may NOT alter the test questions or scoring in any way.

Thank you for your interest in The Menu Task. As researchers we are interested in knowing who is using the Menu Task and for what purpose.  To download The Menu Task we are asking you to complete a form containing the information we need regarding you, your institution, and your intended use for The Menu Task:

Access The Menu Task

By filling out this form, you are agreeing to potentially be contacted in the future with a survey about the use of The Menu Task. We will not be sharing your information with anyone outside of our research team. The information collected will be stored on a password protected computer inside of a locked office that can only be accessed by members of our research time.