Comprehensive Independence and Interpersonal Skills Assessment
Unlocking Potential: A Revolutionary Tool for Evaluating Independence, Interpersonal Dynamics, and Coping Strategies
Unlock a deeper understanding of individual capabilities and interpersonal dynamics with the Comprehensive Independence and Interpersonal Skills Assessment (CIISA). Designed for a wide array of settings, from educational institutions to therapeutic environments, CIISA offers a pioneering approach to evaluating three critical areas of personal development:
What CIISA Measures
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Independence Skills: Measure an individual's ability to perform daily tasks and manage personal affairs, paving the way for targeted support and development plans that enhance self-reliance.
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Interpersonal Style: Gain insights into one's interpersonal dynamics, including communication preferences and social interaction patterns. This knowledge empowers staff and caregivers to tailor their approach, ensuring more effective and harmonious relationships.
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Coping Skills: Understand how individuals navigate stress and adversity, identifying strengths and areas for growth. This aspect of the assessment aids in the creation of personalized coping strategies, enhancing resilience and well-being.
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Interests and Values: Connect skills with personal passions and motivations, enhancing engagement and long-term success.
Comprehensive Independence and Interpersonal Skills Assessment (CIISA)
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Discover CIISA: Transform your approach to community and residential support with a tool designed for depth and understanding. CIISA offers a pathway to tailor support precisely, fostering personal growth, enhancing interpersonal harmony, and building resilient communities. Ready to revolutionize care and empower individuals?
Embark on a journey of discovery and empowerment with CIISA, your partner in fostering independence, enhancing interpersonal relationships, and building resilient coping strategies. Let's unlock the full potential of those you serve, together.
The CIISA Difference
Benefits of the CIISA
CIISA provides a roadmap to independence by revealing hidden strengths and challenges. Unlike standard assessments, it digs into real-life skills, interpersonal dynamics, and resilience, transforming insights into action.
Individuals
Personalized Skill Map
Create a precise map of your strengths and skill gaps, paving the way to greater independence and confidence in everyday life.
Self-Insight for Growth
Discover deep personal insights into your coping strategies and interpersonal patterns, unlocking potential for personal and professional success.
Empowerment for Daily Living
Embrace strategies tailored to enhance independence, boost confidence, and cultivate resilience for a balanced, fulfilling life.
Families
Shared Roadmap
Work alongside your loved one to create a clear, actionable plan that supports their unique journey to independence. CIISA’s insights make it easier to align family expectations and resources.
Co-Journeying Support
Gain tools to navigate the complexities of fostering independence while maintaining close family ties. Learn how to adjust support levels, promote autonomy, and celebrate progress.
Stronger Bonds
Build a deeper understanding of your loved one’s strengths and challenges. CIISA’s insights help you foster a relationship rooted in mutual respect, trust, and encouragement as they transition into adulthood.
Supporting Staff
Targeted Intervention Plans
Gain precise, actionable insights to design meaningful, individualized support strategies that maximize client progress.
Enhanced Communication & Connection
Foster clear, respectful interactions by understanding interpersonal styles, improving teamwork and harmony.
Clarity for Goal-Setting
Use comprehensive insights to craft measurable, achievable goals that inspire confidence and drive continuous growth.
Who Is CIISA Designed For?
CIISA is crafted for anyone seeking clarity and growth in their journey toward greater independence and connection. It’s the assessment for those who want to truly understand themselves, break free from patterns holding them back, and embrace a future of possibilities.
A Letter to Parents and Support Workers: How CIISA Can Unlock Real Potential
Dear Parents and Support Workers,
If you’ve spent years supporting someone with ASD, ADHD, or a similar condition, you know firsthand how complex the journey can be. From navigating day-to-day tasks to building meaningful relationships, the challenges can often feel overwhelming—not just for the individual, but for everyone around them.
As a clinical psychologist, I’ve seen how crucial it is to truly understand someone’s unique strengths, struggles, and social dynamics. Unfortunately, many assessments out there only scratch the surface, leaving caregivers with more questions than answers. This is where the Comprehensive Independence and Interpersonal Skills Assessment (CIISA) can make a real difference.
Understanding the Whole Person
The CIISA isn’t just another test—it’s an opportunity for you to finally gain deeper insights into the individual you’re supporting. Whether it’s a young adult struggling with independence or someone trying to develop more meaningful social connections, the CIISA evaluates these areas in ways that can directly impact daily life.
It’s not about labels; it’s about understanding what’s happening underneath—how that person navigates stress, how they respond to social cues, and where they might need support in becoming more self-reliant. With that understanding, you’re empowered to provide more targeted, effective care for neurodivergent individuals.
Why CIISA Stands Out
One of the most challenging aspects of supporting individuals with neurodivergence is figuring out where the real obstacles lie. Is it a matter of executive functioning—managing time, planning, and organizing? Is it about social skills—knowing how to start a conversation, read body language, or express feelings? Or perhaps it’s about coping with the emotional weight of navigating life’s complexities.
The CIISA looks at all of this. It helps break down the barriers that often prevent individuals from achieving the independence and social satisfaction they deserve. And for you, the parent, caseworker, or educator, it gives you the blueprint you’ve been missing—a roadmap that outlines the best way to support them.
The Benefits for Parents
As a parent, watching your child struggle can be heartbreaking, especially when they’re nearing adulthood but still facing challenges with everyday independence. Whether they’re about to leave school or just starting to enter the workforce, the question of “what’s next?” looms large.
The CIISA helps answer that question. By evaluating not just their independence skills, but also how they interact with others and handle stress, we can begin to create an actionable plan for the future—one that aligns with their capabilities while also stretching them towards growth.
The Power for Support Workers
For those of you in therapeutic or educational settings, the CIISA gives you the tools to tailor your approach. No more guesswork about which interventions will work. Instead, you’ll gain specific insights into that person’s social patterns and coping mechanisms, enabling you to develop support strategies that actually resonate.
For example, if you’re working with someone who struggles with interpersonal relationships, the CIISA can highlight where those struggles stem from. Is it anxiety, social misunderstandings, or difficulty with emotional regulation? Once you know, you can craft a plan that addresses the root issue rather than just treating symptoms.
A Journey of Self-Understanding
Beyond the benefits for caregivers, the CIISA offers something invaluable to the individuals themselves: self-awareness. Often, those who face difficulties with independence or social interactions are unaware of the specific challenges holding them back. The CIISA helps them see themselves more clearly, offering a moment of realization where they can begin to actively work on improving their own lives.
This self-awareness is empowering. For someone who has struggled with failure to launch or social isolation, understanding their own behaviors and learning practical strategies to overcome obstacles can be the key to long-term success.
Let’s Work Together for Change
As a psychologist who has spent years working with neurodivergent individuals, I can tell you that real change doesn’t happen overnight. But with the right tools and the right approach, it can happen. The CIISA is not just an assessment—it’s the starting point for meaningful, positive growth.
If you’re ready to explore how the CIISA can help the individual you support reach their full potential, I encourage you to reach out. Let’s work together to foster greater independence, stronger relationships, and a more empowered sense of self.
Warmly,
Cody Thomas Rounds
Clinical Psychologist- Master
Read Emerging topics on CISSA
The College Self-Confidence Series: Empowering Your Academic and Personal Growth
College is a transformative time—a period of both challenge and opportunity. Navigating this new phase requires more than academic skills; it demands self-confidence, resilience, and a clear sense of self. The College Self-Confidence Series is designed to guide students through this journey, providing essential insights and tools for building the self-assurance needed to thrive in all areas of college life.
Self-confidence is more than just feeling good about yourself. It’s about developing a deep understanding of your strengths, managing stress, embracing new experiences, and creating meaningful connections. Through a holistic approach, this series empowers students to unlock their potential by fostering personal growth, academic success, and social well-being.
Why Confidence Matters in College
Confidence is the foundation for success, influencing how students engage in their studies, form relationships, and prepare for future careers. Without it, even the brightest minds can struggle to realize their full potential. This series focuses on helping students build a solid sense of self-worth that carries them through the ups and downs of college life.
Whether you’re learning how to communicate more effectively, conquering presentation anxiety, or finding your place in a new social environment, confidence plays a central role. With the right tools and mindset, students can overcome obstacles and approach each challenge with a sense of purpose and clarity.
A Holistic Approach to Confidence
The College Self-Confidence Series goes beyond traditional academic advice, offering a holistic view of what it means to succeed in college. By integrating practical skills, psychological insights, and self-care practices, the series nurtures confidence from within. This approach not only helps students excel academically but also enriches their overall college experience.
From building stronger social connections to preparing for life beyond college, confidence is the key to thriving in this pivotal time of life. Through self-awareness, emotional resilience, and personal empowerment, students can navigate their college journey with purpose and pride.
Ready to Embrace Your College Journey?
Confidence isn’t something that happens overnight, but with the right guidance, it can be cultivated and strengthened. The College Self-Confidence Series is here to help students at every step, offering valuable insights that support personal growth and success. Prepare to face college life with renewed confidence and a clearer vision of your potential.
The Clinician Behind CIISA
Cody Thomas Rounds, M.A.
With over two decades of hands-on experience supporting young adults in residential, educational, and clinical settings, Cody Thomas Rounds brings unmatched insight into the real-world challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals seeking independence. His journey spans roles from behavioral support staff in residential programs to vocational counselor, and ultimately, to clinical psychologist and innovator.
A Vision Built from the Ground Up
Cody’s deep involvement in foundational programs—most notably as a founding instructor at SUCCEED, one of the first college-based transition programs for young adults on the autism spectrum—shaped his understanding of what makes support truly effective. Over years of direct work with families, students, and support staff, he identified a persistent gap: traditional assessments focused too narrowly on learning or behavior, overlooking the crucial interplay of interests, interpersonal dynamics, and everyday skills.
The Birth of CIISA
CIISA was born from Cody’s realization that independence isn’t just about mastering tasks—it’s about aligning skills with personal interests and adaptive strategies. By combining insights from vocational training, psychology, and decades of hands-on support experience, he crafted a tool designed specifically for young adults navigating the complex transition to independence in supportive environments.
A Practical Innovator
Cody’s background uniquely positions him to design assessments that work not just on paper but in real life. His approach reflects:
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Deep familiarity with neurodivergent profiles, particularly in emerging adulthood.
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Practical experience in residential and supportive living settings, where day-to-day challenges are the real test of readiness.
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Commitment to holistic success, integrating interests, social dynamics, and core independence skills.
Whether in consultation with families, collaboration with organizations, or direct assessments, Cody’s goal remains clear: to provide actionable, compassionate tools that unlock each individual’s path to greater independence, confidence, and resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions about CIISA
What makes CIISA different from other assessments?
CIISA stands out by combining evaluations of real-life independence skills, interpersonal styles, and coping strategies. It’s not just about test scores—it’s about understanding the whole person and creating actionable, individualized support plans.
Is CIISA only for people with specific diagnoses?
No. While it’s ideal for those with developmental disabilities, neurodivergence, or related challenges, CIISA is for anyone seeking greater independence, resilience, and improved interpersonal skills.
How long does a typical CIISA process take?
The comprehensive evaluation typically unfolds over multiple sessions, tailored to each individual’s needs. This allows for in-depth conversations, behavioral observations, and personalized feedback.
Who administers the CIISA assessment?
CIISA is conducted by experienced professionals trained in behavioral, psychological, and developmental assessments. They work closely with individuals, families, and support staff to ensure the process is collaborative and supportive.
Will I receive a detailed report?
Yes. Every CIISA participant receives a comprehensive, easy-to-understand report highlighting strengths, areas for growth, and actionable next steps. This report serves as a blueprint for creating meaningful and lasting change.
How does CIISA help with future planning?
CIISA provides a clear understanding of an individual’s capabilities and challenges, helping families, support workers, and programs design targeted plans for skill development, social engagement, and coping strategies that align with personal goals.