The Multiple Errands Test (MET) is an assessment that examines how executive dysfunction manifests in everyday life. Several location-specific versions of the MET have been developed over the past few decades. Refer to the publications section below for more details.

Executive function can be difficult to assess in the home environment. For instance, many practitioners choose to use skilled observation of performance to identify impairments and performance problems. Unfortunately, practitioners may be examining procedural memory and not specifically looking at executive function if they choose this approach. Frequently, executive dysfunction is revealed when clients are attending to specific tasks that require them to: plan, organize, navigate, multi-task, utilize devices, and seek out information. The MET-Home was recently developed to support the assessment of those with even subtle executive dysfunction impairments.

Some assessments may not fully capture how the lived environment influences performance. For example, if a family member always helps with a certain activity or skill, a practitioner can observe how this plays out in context and may actually facilitate family-centered goal setting or recommendations for assistance with everyday tasks in the home. Additionally, assessments typically do not consider how self-generated strategies can support performance. By identifying how strategies are naturalistically used, practitioners can develop intervention plans that incorporate these strategies to meet goals.

Benefits of the MET-Home

• Provides Information on “Real-World” Performance
• Tracks Self-Generated Strategy Use
• Completed in the Client’s Home with No Additional Materials Needed
• Provides Baseline Information on Client Performance
• Integrates the Assessment of Environmental/Contextual Factors
• Facilitates Intervention Planning

MET-Home Overview

The MET-Home (Burns et al., 2019) was developed to reflect previous versions of the MET while being administered in a client’s home. It consists of 14 daily tasks accompanied by a set of rules and clients are expected to complete the exercise within their home environment as they would on a typical day. The MET-Home can objectively assess the influence of executive function on task performance in the home. Sub-scores can be used to understand how complex tasks are approached, what type of errors are made in context, environmental and contextual influences on performance, and how self-generated strategies are used to support performance.