Verve OT Learning

Audience

This workshop is designed for Occupational Therapists who work with children and young people requiring comprehensive functional assessments. It is relevant for clinicians across pediatrics, disability, rehabilitation and community practice who are involved in evaluating functional abilities, participation and support needs. The content will benefit practitioners wanting to strengthen their assessment skills, improve the clarity of their reports and build confidence in applying evidence to guide recommendations and goal setting.

Course Description

Functional capacity assessments are essential for linking a child’s abilities, challenges and support needs to everyday participation. Unlike progress reports, they require a broader and more comprehensive approach, drawing on multiple sources of evidence to guide recommendations and planning.

In this workshop, participants will learn best practice methods for conducting pediatric functional assessments, from interviews and observations to integrating information from families, schools and other providers. The use of standardized assessments such as PEDI-CAT, Vineland-3 and ABAS-3 will be explored, alongside caregiver impact measures, to ensure recommendations are evidence-based and aligned with functional outcomes.

The session also covers how to analyze and present findings in a clear, concise and strengths-based way. Participants will gain practical strategies for writing reports that communicate a child’s needs effectively, advocate for appropriate supports and highlight the impact of insufficient resources.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

1. Understand the purpose, scope and importance of functional capacity assessments (FCAs) for children within the NDIS
2. Distinguish between OT progress reports and FCAs, and explain why FCAs provide broader, multi-disciplinary evidence for funding decisions
3. Apply best practice approaches to FCAs, including gathering information from interviews, observations, background reports and other providers
4. Select and administer appropriate standardized assessments (e.g., PEDI-CAT, Vineland-3, ABAS-3) alongside caregiver impact measures to support recommendations
5. Analyze and present findings in clear, concise language that links standardized assessment results to functional participation
6. Write strong FCA reports that align with NDIS guidelines, highlight risks of insufficient funding and include realistic, evidence-informed recommendations
7. Advocate effectively for children and families by combining clinical reasoning with accessible, strengths-based reporting

Prerequisites

Confidentiality

All workshop materials, including recordings, slides, and case examples, must be treated as confidential. By enrolling, you agree to:

• Not copy, record, or distribute any part of the workshop content in any format.
• Keep your login details secure and ensure only you access the provided materials.
• Avoid showing or sharing content with colleagues, peers, or external groups unless they have purchased their own access.

Intellectual Property

All training resources, templates, workbooks, and guides are the intellectual property of Verve OT Learning. These materials are provided for your personal learning and professional development. You agree to:

• Use the content solely for your own clinical or educational purposes.
• Not reproduce, adapt, or distribute the materials without written permission from Verve OT Learning.
• Not screenshot, duplicate, or repurpose any part of the workshop materials, including video or text, for sharing with others.

Resources and Templates

Any templates or guides provided with the training are designed to support your practice. Editable versions may be supplied for you to adapt for your client work. To use these resources within a team or organization, each professional must hold their own license or course access.

Presenters

Veronica Sarunic

Veronica Sarunic is an Occupational Therapist with almost 30 years of experience across mental health, neurorehabilitation and medico-legal practice. Over the past decade, she has focused her clinical expertise on supporting children and young adults, developing a strong reputation in pediatric functional capacity assessment.

Veronica is passionate about building competency among OTs working in pediatrics and regularly delivers training to equip clinicians with the knowledge and skills to produce high-quality, evidence-based reports that make a genuine difference for children and their families.

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