Book excerpt: This manual, which provides extensive new instructions for administering the Functional Assessment Inventory (FAI), is intended to enable counselors to begin using the inventory without undergoing any special training. The first two sections deal with the need for functional assessment and issues in the development and use of the inventory. The individual items, check mark blanks, and strength items included in the inventory are described, and instructions for using them are outlined. Discussed in a section on the development of the FAI are its reliability, normative information, strength items, concurrent validity, use in assessing the dimensions of and change in functional limitations, and predictive validity. The fifth section examines the following companion instruments in the Functional Assessment System: the Personal Capacities Questionnaire, the Rehabilitation Goals Identification Form, and the Personal Guide to Rehabilitation Goals. A reference list concludes the guide. Copies of the actual Functional Assessment Inventory, scoring sheet, and administration instructions are appended. (MN)