Sometimes you know your child needs support. It can be harder to explain exactly what that support looks like.
A Functional Capacity Assessment helps build a clear picture of how your child manages everyday life across home, school and the community.
Rather than focusing on a diagnosis alone, we look at your child as a whole: their strengths, the things they find trickier, the environments around them and the support that may help them participate, learn and thrive.
The result is a comprehensive report that brings all of this together, helping you better understand your child’s needs and plan their future supports with greater clarity.
It’s about how everyday life actually works for your child.
A Functional Capacity Assessment looks beyond what your child can do on their very best day. It explores how they typically manage everyday activities across the environments that are part of their life.
Everyday activities
Dressing, toileting, showering, sleep, mealtimes and other daily routines
Movement
Gross and fine motor skills, mobility and moving safely through everyday environments
Thinking + learning
Attention, memory, planning, problem-solving and safety awareness
Regulation
Emotions, sensory processing, behaviour and the strategies that help
Social + communication
Playing, communicating, interacting and connecting with others
Independence
Tasks such as chores, preparing food, shopping, money management and accessing the community
Home, school + community
How the environment supports or impacts your child’s participation
A Functional Capacity Assessment may be helpful if you’re…
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Preparing for an NDIS planning or review meeting
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Preparing for an NDIS planning or review meeting
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Needing evidence to help demonstrate your child’s current support needs
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Seeking new or increased supports
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Wanting a clearer picture of your child’s strengths and everyday support needs
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Navigating a new diagnosis or change in circumstances
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Preparing for a transition, such as starting school, moving to high school or planning for life after school
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Looking for clear recommendations to help guide future therapy and supports
More than a checklist.
An assessment that tells the story of your child.
At Motivate Kids, a Functional Capacity Assessment isn’t simply about completing assessments or meeting reporting requirements.
We bring together conversations with the people who know your child best, observations of everyday life, evidence-informed assessment tools and clinical expertise to build a meaningful picture of your child.
The result is a report that helps explain your child’s strengths, support needs and what may help them participate more fully in everyday life.
What happens during a Functional Capacity Assessment?
Every assessment is individualised to your child.
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Getting to know your child
We begin with an intake and Parent-Carer Meeting to understand your child’s history, strengths, everyday routines, goals and support needs. We’ll also review relevant reports and questionnaires.
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Understanding everyday life
Where appropriate, your Occupational Therapist may visit home, school or preschool and speak with educators, therapists or other members of your child’s support team.
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Assessment and Report
Your child may take part in an assessment session using carefully selected standardised tools. We then bring together assessment findings, observations, questionnaires and clinical reasoning into a comprehensive Functional Capacity Report.
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Recommendations and next steps
You’ll receive your completed report, including recommendations for your child’s current and future supports. A feedback meeting is also available to talk through the findings, answer questions and discuss what happens next.
Your report can also be shared with educators and other health professionals, helping everyone supporting your child work from the same understanding.
Wondering if a Functional Capacity Assessment is the right next step?
You might already know that you need an FCA, or you may simply have questions about whether it’s the right assessment for your child.
Tell us a little about your child, what you’re working through and what you need the assessment for. Our team can help you understand the process and work out the right next step.
