Functional Capacity  Assessments

A Functional capacity assessment (FCA) determines the functional needs of an individual, supports funding application and guides intervention.

A Functional Capacity Assessment is a thorough assessment of a child’s abilities as well as needs across all daily aspects of life. In the case of a child, this might include: home, educational setting, playground, swimming lessons and more. In completing a very detailed functional capacity assessment across their home, educational and recreational environments, the child’s individuals needs in terms of pragmatic support, equipment and or ‘capacity building’ intervention can be clarified. This in turn allows a more significant conversation with the NDIS.

A Functional Capacity Assessment is not dissimilar to a standard occupational therapy assessment but is far broader in its intent. Depending upon the reason that you’ve engaged with a therapist for intervention, some form of assessment will have been completed in your first interaction with the therapist. This is undertaken so that the therapist can determine what the functional challenges are, and can then determine the actions to overcome the challenges. The single significant difference between a Functional Capacity Assessment and a standard assessment is the breath and multi environment focus towards clarifying needs and recommendations both for the short term as well as long-term as long term.

Functional capacity assessments develop a clear picture of the child’s developmental and pragmatic needs across multiple environments, equipment and support required. It serves as the most useful foundation for an NDIS funding discussion.

Functional Capacity Assessments vary in duration and focus depend upon the individual child age, the environments they engage with regularly, their diagnosis and the degree to which informal supports are already in place. A Functional Capacity Assessment typical takes anywhere from 6 – 20 hours depending on the complexity of the child needs.

If your child has been recommended to undergo a functional capacity assessment, call us to have from a free 15 mins chat to understand what this might mean for your child, what is involved and an idea of the potential costs. Our experienced team can answer these questions and more, giving you peace of mind and a clear plan of action from worried to wonderful.