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NDIS Developmental Educators supporting neurodivergent adults in Central Coast, Lake Macquarie & Hunter. Enquire today for support.

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Holistic Assessments

At iCan Autism Support, we provide neuroaffirming assessments that highlight your strengths. We focus on lived experience to help you access essential NDIS funding for an independent, authentic life.

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Let us provide you with a:

  • Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA)

  • Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBA)

  • Adaptive Behaviour Assessment (adaptive functioning, life skills)

  • Sensory Processing Assessment

  • Communications Assessment

  • Social Skills Assessment

  • Emotional/Mental Health Screening

  • Environmental Assessment

Ask about assessments
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Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA)

The FCA evaluates how disability impacts daily life across communication, social, and self-care domains. It provides clinical evidence needed for CORE and Capacity Building funding under NDIS criteria.

FCA Benefits at a Glance
Evidence-Based Reports
Neuroaffirming Lens
Strategic Advocacy

Detailed documentation using validated tools to justify your specific support needs and therapeutic requirements.

A respectful environment where neurodivergence is valued, focusing on personal goals rather than deficits.

Reports specifically mapped to NDIS Section 24/25 to help secure approvals during plan reviews.

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Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)

Our functional behaviour assessments (FBAs) identify unmet sensory and emotional needs rather than demanding compliance. We develop Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBA) that enhance safety and well-being by modifying environments to suit your natural traits. Our clinicians work ethically to ensure strategies fit your lifestyle and promote autonomy.

Ask about FBA

FCA vs FBA — Understanding the Difference

These are two distinct assessment types with different purposes, different clinical processes, and different NDIS applications. Both can be completed by a qualified developmental educator.

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Get an Assessment
Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA)

Purpose

Documents what someone can and cannot do across the domains of daily life — the breadth and extent of functional impact of their disability.
 

Primary NDIS use

Evidence for NDIS planning decisions: justifying funding, supports, and the overall level of reasonable and necessary assistance required.
 

Used for

• NDIS access, plan reviews, funding increases

• SDA and SIL applications

• Appeals and internal reviews

Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)

Purpose

Investigates why specific behaviours are occurring — the antecedents, functions, and context of behaviours of concern — to inform targeted support strategies.

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Primary NDIS use

Understand and respond to behaviours compassionately and effectively. Contribute to a Behaviour Support Plan (lodged by a registered PBS practitioner).

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Used for

• Understanding and addressing behaviours of concern

• Informing support strategies for carers and workers

• Contributing to a PBS Practitioner's Behaviour Support Plan

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Step 1
Discovery

An initial meeting to discuss your history and goals, ensuring our assessment is fully tailored to your unique identity.

Our Assessment Process

A transparent framework designed to ensure your story is documented accurately for NDIS impact and personal growth.

Step 2
Evaluation

Observations and interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative data about your lived experience in various real-world settings.

Step 3
Draft Review

We review findings together to confirm accuracy and ensure you are comfortable with how your life is clinically described.

Step 4
Final Report

Delivery of the final professional report, including itemised recommendations for supports, therapies, and assistive equipment.

I-CAN v6 AND
NDIS REFORM

The NDIS is introducing a new support needs assessment framework — the most significant change to how NDIS plans are built since the scheme began. Here is what we know, what it means for you, and what you can do to prepare.
 

Why Use the I-CAN?

The I-CAN is:

  • Strengths-based and person-centred

  • Semi-structured – so can be used flexibly and what is appropriate to the person you are assessing

  • Based on the World Health Organisation, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO ICF)

  • Aligns with our commitment to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD)

  • Appropriate for use across all disability types including physical, intellectual and psycho-social disabilities

  • Validated for use for people with disabilities 16 years and older, however some assessors are using it with younger people

  • Developed and researched in Australia

  • The assessment is completed via an online tool so can be accessed anywhere with internet access.  No need for paper manuals or forms.


What is I-CAN v6?
The Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs, version 6 (I-CAN v6) is a standardised support needs assessment tool developed over more than 20 years by the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies. The NDIA describes it as the gold standard of available, validated needs assessment tools.

I-CAN v6 is not a medical examination or diagnostic test. It is a structured conversation between a participant and a trained, accredited assessor. It focuses on the support a person needs in daily life — how often, and how intensive — rather than on functional impairments alone. It is strengths-based and built on the ICF framework.

The assessment covers 12 life domains and typically takes around 3 hours, which can be split across multiple meetings. It considers not only the person's individual characteristics but also their living arrangements, environment, informal support network, and personal circumstances.
 
The 12 I-CAN-v6 life domains

  1. Mobility

  2. Self-care

  3. Communication

  4. Social interaction

  5. Learning

  6. Decision-making

  7. Community participation

  8. Home management

  9. Work & study

  10. Relationships

  11. Mental health

  12. Safety

 
What this means for you right now

  • Your existing NDIS plan continues unchanged until your next scheduled review

  • The NDIA will contact you before your I-CAN assessment — you will not be assessed without notice

  • FCAs and other clinical evidence remain valuable and may still be requested as targeted assessments for complex needs even under the new system

  • Strong documentation of your support needs — built over time — will still matter under I-CAN-v6

  • If your plan review is approaching, get a current Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) now to protect your supports

 

Ask About I-CAN-v6 assessment

Secure your NDIS funding

Serving the Central Coast and Hunter regions, we provide the neuroaffirming evidence required for successful NDIS applications. Reach out to start your journey today.

Book an assessment call
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