I forgot when I blogged this on the other blog of mine, but I remembered I mentioned about an Aspie who doesn't seem to have a very positive outlook of his diagnosis of Asperger's nor does he have a good quality of life. Well, a few days ago, he shared on that same Facebook page that his Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score was 35. Having learned a little bit about the GAF in my medical lectures class in OT school, that raised some eyebrows (that other caregivers on the site might not have been aware of). On one hand, I was wondering if that person was a hoax (as I remembered that some of the clients I encountered in my first level 2 FW scored between the mid to high 20's to low 40's on the GAF). On the other hand, if what he says was true, this is a SERIOUS issue, as people like him should be placed (or at least spend a good bit of time) in an inpatient mental health facility, or at least somewhere in the mental health system for the a good portion of his life!
Yes, the fact that he attempted to seek support on his own is great. But, now that he mentioned his GAF score on the Internet for the public to see, I could tell that maybe a communication problem right off the bat. Yes, it is important to mention some information about oneself in support group settings- such as diagnosis and common life problems one is dealing with. But, stuff like the GAF score is another matter. For those who doesn't know what the GAF is, they may just see it as a number. But for someone like me, that screams a big problem, as I was wondering how he could be missed by the mental health system (assuming what he says is accurate)! Did the person who performed the GAF not do a good job in making recommendations? Did his family not understand/buying what the person who performed the GAF says? Was he in denial (obviously he might not have the cognitive ability to understand his GAF score)?
Of course, computer skills is becoming a more and more essential occupation in a technology driven world. So, what I am wondering is, what can OT do for those who are on the low end of the GAF? I thought of several things.
1. General orientation to computers- from basic skills such as word processing to how to navigate the web (search engines, reading the news, job sites, etc.)
2. For those with communication deficits, it will be about functional communication skills, especially on the Internet context.
3. Internet etiquette- the lower the GAF score, the more these have to be taught.
4. Support groups- they are great for anyone who might have psychosocial and/or physical disabilities. But, how to use them is another matter. (This is related to the functional communication skills on point #2.) I believe that would be good tool, especially for clients who are discharged from a higher level of care to lower level of care.
Whether this person is a hoax is one thing, but I think it might raise a good question for OT who work in mental health settings, particularly in inpatient mental health.