Functional Capacity Assessments
What To Look For In An FCA
- Standardized Tools: The assessment should use recognized tools like the Vineland, WHODAS, ABAS-3, or LSP-16. These provide objective measures of your abilities and help compare your results to established norms.
- Skill Observation: The assessor should watch you perform tasks to evaluate your fine and gross motor skills in a practical context. This goes beyond questionnaires and gives a real-world understanding of your strengths and challenges.
- Detailed History: They should ask in-depth questions about your daily life, work, home, and community environments to understand the full picture of your needs. Be prepared to discuss your routines, any difficulties you encounter, and your goals for increased independence.
- Context-Specific Recommendations: The assessment should result in recommendations tailored to the specific environments where you need support. Generic advice won't be as helpful as strategies that address the real-life situations you face.
- Your Right to Quality: If any of these elements are missing, don't hesitate to reschedule or find a different assessor. You deserve an assessment that provides maximum value and helps you reach your full potential.
What To Expect
Here's a general outline of what you can expect during a functional capacity assessment. Remember, this may vary slightly depending on the reason for your assessment.
Getting Started:
Your assessor will carefully review information about why you're having the assessment.
They'll collect basic details about you, like your medical history and important background info.
You'll have a chance to discuss your own expectations and goals.
Talking and Learning:
You'll have an in-depth interview where the assessor will ask about your daily life, routines, and any challenges you might face.
They may want to know about your home life, work, and activities in the community.
Observation and Activities:
The assessor will watch you do specific tasks to see your skills in action.
You might be asked to answer questions or complete short tests focused on different abilities.
Putting it Together:
The assessor will use all the information they've gathered to create a report.
This report will describe your needs and include recommendations designed specifically for you.
Sharing and Understanding:
You'll receive a draft of the report to review.
You can discuss the report with your assessor and ask questions. This is your chance to ensure it reflects your situation accurately.
Important Note: A good functional assessment is about you or your loved one. Don't be afraid to ask questions, share your experiences, and make sure your assessor understands your unique situation.
How much do FCA's cost?
Functional capacity assessments cost will depend on the complexity of your situation. Report writing is billed at standard therapy rates ($193.99 per hour) in line with the NDIS price guide.
10-12 hours for standard assessments, this will include travel, in person observations and assessments and call correspondence.
For clients with more complex situations, that require observations in multiple environments (home, school, work, community) and interviews with different supports (such as other health professionals, teachers, support workers) this can increase the time required. There is no one size fits all for the time estimate, good quality reports are based on collecting accurate information.
How long does it take to write a report?
I aim to have a final draft for my clients to review within 5 business days of the in person observations and standard assessments being completed.