Here’s why standardised assessments are so important
A standardised assessment is a common tool OTs use all the time. It provides a reliable valid measure of the clients difficulties and function. Standardised assessments can assess all sorts of areas such as – physical function, cognitive capacity, sensory processing, mental health burden, or general life skills.
This is a way of providing objective (not opinion but factual) evidence of the client’s function and progress. Informally assessing, observing and offering suggestions is not strong enough alone to provide a quality occupational therapy service. Adding in standardised assessments makes the findings or planning of therapy so much more useful for the therapist, client and family/carers to understand what’s happening and areas that need to be worked on. Assessments are often repeated at certain intervals to offer a measurable comparison.
Staying Independent has skills in a variety of assessments, including assessments requiring formal training, specialised online access, and the ability to interpret the data for reporting.
In particular relation to the NDIS, standardised assessments carry huge weight when included in reports for submission. The NDIS is very specific what assessments they consider “best practice” for each disability – this means the assessments they want to see included! It is so important that these guidelines are followed to give the client the best chance of getting on the scheme, justifying the need for funding, or having evidence to suggest why increased funding is needed if that’s the case.
A list of the NDIS requested standardised assessments for evidence can be found here.