An FCA may include questionnaires or structured assessment tools. These can organise information, explore a particular difficulty or help describe change over time. They are used alongside the interview, relevant records and any assessment observations.
There is no single questionnaire that determines an NDIS budget. A report needs to explain what a result means for the person and what it cannot establish.
WHODAS 2.0
The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, known as WHODAS 2.0, examines difficulties across several areas of functioning. It was developed for adult populations. The version, respondent and method of administration need to suit the assessment.
The 36-item and 12-item versions provide different levels of detail. Some versions are completed by the person; others use an interviewer or a proxy respondent. The report should identify which was used and who answered.
WHODAS generally asks about the previous 30 days. Answer within the instructions rather than choosing only the most difficult day. A condition's longer pattern can be explained separately. A WHODAS score is not a percentage of a person's disability and does not translate directly into support hours.
The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure
The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, or COPM, explores activities that matter to the person and their ratings of performance and satisfaction. It can help identify priorities and review those ratings later.
A change in a rating is useful information. On its own, however, it does not prove what caused the change. The assessor also needs to consider changes in health, the environment and the assistance available.
Other measures
Depending on the question, an assessor may use measures of participation, distress, health, adaptive skills or the effects of caring. A measure of distress does not, by itself, establish functional support needs. A carer's questionnaire describes the carer's responses; it is not a substitute for the participant's perspective.
Children need age-appropriate assessment methods. Parent and teacher information may both be relevant, but their accounts concern different settings and should be identified separately.
When a result does not match another account
The OT should look at the reason for the difference. The timeframe may be different, the questions may have been misunderstood, or the person may have had more support in one setting. Sometimes the information remains uncertain.
Tell the assessor when a question is unclear or does not fit your situation. They can explain the instructions and record relevant limitations without steering you towards a particular answer.
Further information
- WHO: WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0
- Canadian Occupational Performance Measure: official information