Occupational therapy is about everyday function
Occupational therapy is the profession concerned with "occupations" — the ordinary, necessary activities that fill a person's day. Self-care, work, study, getting around, looking after a home, connecting with others. An OT's whole training is in understanding how someone manages these in real life, and what's getting in the way.
That is exactly what a Functional Capacity Assessment needs to describe. So while several professions can assess aspects of function, an OT comes to the task already thinking in terms of daily participation — which makes them especially well suited to writing these reports.
Trained to look at what you can do
The NDIS makes its decisions on functional capacity, not diagnosis — and that is the lens an OT is trained to work in. A diagnosis names a condition; an OT's job is to translate how that condition shows up in day-to-day life: what's manageable, what's difficult, what needs support, and how often. An OT doesn't stop at the label — they build the picture underneath it, and follow it through to what it means in practice.
Impairment
The condition or difficulty a person lives with.
Functional impact
How it actually affects everyday tasks and participation.
Support need
The specific, reasonable support that follows from it.
Tracing that chain — from impairment, through its real functional impact, to the support it implies — is the heart of an FCA, and it's a line of reasoning OTs do every day.
What an OT brings to the room
A whole-of-life view
Looks across every domain of daily functioning, rather than one system in isolation.
Validated tools
Grounds observations in internationally recognised measures such as the WHODAS 2.0.
Clinical reasoning
Connects each functional difficulty to the specific support it implies.
The right language
Translates a clinical picture into the functional terms NDIS planners and reviewers work from.
How an OT builds the picture
An OT doesn't rely on a single snapshot. They gather information from several angles and weave it into one coherent account — and where it helps, they include the people who see the person across different settings, so the report reflects a real week rather than a best day.
- A structured interview about how daily life actually goes
- Standardised assessment tools, such as the WHODAS 2.0
- A review of existing reports and documents you provide
- Input from carers, family or school, where that adds to the picture
Experienced OTs, one senior reviewer
At Seeds OT, interviews are conducted by experienced occupational therapists in the team, and every report is reviewed, reasoned and signed off by Nisha Bal, our Principal OT with more than 15 years' experience. The clinical judgement that turns information into a defensible report sits with one senior clinician — which keeps the reports consistent, accountable and held to the same standard every time.
An FCA isn't a form to fill in. It's clinical reasoning, written down.— Nisha Bal, Seeds OT
Why this matters for your plan
When an FCA is written by an OT who understands both function and the NDIS, the report does more than describe difficulty — it makes the case for the right supports in language the scheme recognises. That clarity is often the difference between a plan that reflects real needs and one that falls short of them.
Frequently asked
Occupational therapy is the profession built around everyday function and participation — the exact thing an FCA has to describe. OTs are trained to assess how a condition affects daily life and to connect that to support needs, which is why they're well placed to write these reports for the NDIS.
No. An FCA isn't a diagnostic assessment. The OT works from your existing diagnoses and focuses on function — what you can do, what's difficult, and what support would help — rather than naming or changing a diagnosis.
An experienced occupational therapist in the team conducts your interview. All of the information is then reviewed by Nisha Bal, our Principal OT, who completes the clinical reasoning and writes and signs the report. That keeps every report to a consistent senior standard.
Yes. The reports are written specifically to support NDIS decision-making — linking functional difficulties to reasonable and necessary supports, in the functional language planners and reviewers work from.