Your Everyday Moments Are Evidence. Here Is How to Capture Them Before Your NDIS Assessment.
The NDIS is shifting to functional evidence in 2026. Diagnosis alone carries less weight than it used to. What matters now is a clear, specific picture of how disability affects daily life. This guide shows you exactly how to build that picture, one small moment at a time.
Why This Matters More Right Now
Something significant is shifting in how the NDIS works, and it affects every participant and family preparing for a plan review or fresh assessment in 2026 and beyond.
For years, a diagnosis carried a lot of weight in NDIS planning. If you had the right medical label, the paperwork often followed. That is changing. The NDIA is moving toward what they call a functional impact model, where the central question is not "what condition does this person have?" but "how does their disability actually affect their day-to-day life, and what support do they genuinely need?"
The new I-CAN v6 assessment tool, which is being rolled out from 2026 and expected to be used broadly from April 2027, covers 12 areas of daily life. A trained NDIA assessor will work through these areas with the participant in a conversation that can last up to three hours. The picture that emerges from that conversation will directly influence the budget in the resulting plan.
Important for 2026: The new framework planning approach has been delayed to 1 April 2027, but the shift toward functional evidence is already here. Plan reviews happening right now are already being assessed with a stronger emphasis on real-world functional impact. Waiting until the new system formally arrives is not the right strategy.
This is genuinely good news for families who have always felt that a diagnosis label did not capture the full reality of life with their person. But it also puts more responsibility on you to document that reality clearly, specifically, and consistently. An assessor who has never met your child or your parent can only work with what they are shown. Your job is to make sure what they are shown is accurate and complete.
What Counts as Evidence and What Doesn't
The most common mistake families make is thinking that clinical reports alone are enough. They are important, but they are not the whole picture. An occupational therapy report written in a clinic setting, or a letter from a paediatrician, tells the assessor what the professional observed. It does not tell them what Tuesday morning at your house actually looks like.
Assessors are looking for functional impact across real daily activities. They want to understand frequency, severity, consistency, and what happens when support is not there. Here is the difference between evidence that works and evidence that doesn't:
"He has meltdowns regularly and it's very hard for our family."
"On 3 out of 5 school mornings this week, transition from home to car took over 30 minutes due to distress. Required two adults. Resulted in late arrival twice and one school refusal."
"She has difficulty getting dressed and needs help with personal care."
"Cannot initiate dressing independently. Requires step-by-step verbal prompts for each item of clothing. Task takes 20-25 minutes with support, compared to 5 minutes for peers. Without support, task is not completed."
The difference is specificity. Dates. Times. Frequency. Duration. Exactly what support was needed. What happened without it. Small, boring, specific details are what turn an observation into evidence.
The 12 Areas the New Assessment Covers
If you want to prepare well for the new I-CAN assessment process, it helps to know which areas of life will be explored. The I-CAN v6 tool looks at 12 domains. Having concrete, recent examples ready for each one will give your assessor the clearest possible picture of genuine support needs.
You do not need a perfect example for every single one. But knowing these categories in advance means you can start noticing and recording moments that speak to them, rather than trying to reconstruct everything from memory at the last minute.
What to Actually Write Down
Good documentation does not need to be long. It needs to be specific. Here is a simple template you can use each time you record an observation. Keep it somewhere easy to access, whether that is a note on your phone, a small notebook by the door, or a shared app that others in your household can also add to.
That single entry takes about two minutes to write. But a month of entries like that tells a story that no clinical report can fully capture on its own.
The Best Tools for Capturing Evidence
You do not need anything special. The best tool is whatever you will actually use consistently. Here are the options, with honest notes on each one:
Notes App on Your Phone
Fast, always with you, timestamps automatically. Best for quick entries in the moment. Can be messy to review later if not organised into folders by week or month.
A Small Notebook
Simple and reliable. Keep it in one obvious place, like beside the kettle. Write the date at the top of each day. Easy to hand to your OT at an appointment.
Voice Memos
Useful when your hands are full or when you are in the middle of helping someone. Speak the observation out loud immediately after it happens, then transcribe it later.
Photos and Short Videos
Very useful for mobility, transfers, or tasks that are hard to describe in words. Always get consent first, keep files secure, and add a written note with context immediately after.
One rule above all: consistency beats perfection. Two honest, specific entries a day is worth far more than one very long entry written from memory at the end of the month. Make it a habit, not a project.
How to Write Observations That Actually Help
The language matters. Assessors and OTs need to translate what you describe into functional terms that meet NDIS criteria. The closer your language is to that standard already, the more useful your evidence becomes.
- Describe what you saw, not what you interpreted. "Stopped walking on the footpath and lay down" is better than "refused to cooperate". One is an observation. The other is an interpretation.
- Name the support exactly. "Needed help" is not useful. "Required two verbal prompts to initiate, then hand-over-hand physical assistance to complete" tells someone exactly what level of support was involved.
- Quantify the frequency. "Often has trouble sleeping" is weak. "Woke three times last night, required settling each time for 15-20 minutes" is evidence.
- Record what did not happen as a result. The consequence of a difficulty is often as important as the difficulty itself. "Could not attend swimming lesson" or "missed work shift" or "carer had to cancel own appointment" paints the real picture of impact.
- Note when things are better and when they are worse. Showing variability across settings or times of day is valuable. It tells the assessor that the need is genuine and situational, not performed for the assessment.
- Include good days too. Recording what someone can do without support, and what that looks like, helps assessors understand the full range of functioning rather than assuming the worst-case scenario is constant.
Getting Others to Contribute
You do not have to do all of this on your own. Some of the most powerful evidence comes from the people who see the participant in different environments and at different times of day. A consistent pattern across multiple settings and multiple observers is far harder to dismiss than a single person's notes.
| Who | What to ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers and school staff | Specific classroom observations, frequency of support needed, participation in activities, any adjustments made | Shows the school environment challenges, which are often different from home |
| Support workers | Shift notes that describe exactly what support was provided, how long tasks took, and any incidents | Contemporaneous records from paid support are considered strong evidence |
| Other family members or carers | Their own observations using the same simple template, from overnight stays or weekend care | Consistency across different carers strengthens the picture considerably |
| Allied health professionals | Functional observations, not just diagnoses. Ask them specifically: what can this person do, what can they not do, and what support is needed | Clinical evidence is most powerful when it speaks to function, not just condition |
| GPs and specialists | Short, function-focused letters that link the condition to specific daily limitations | Adds clinical authority to the functional picture you are building |
Give anyone contributing their own observations the same simple template. The more consistent the format across different sources, the easier it is for an assessor or OT to compile it all and see the patterns.
Privacy and Consent When Recording
A few things worth being clear about before you start recording photos or videos:
- Always get informed consent from any person who appears in a photo or video, or from their legal guardian where appropriate. Write down that consent was given and keep a dated record of it.
- If there are other people in the background when you want to record something, either get their consent or wait for a moment when the person is alone.
- Store all recordings and written notes in a password-protected folder or a secure cloud service. Do not keep files with a person's name and medical information in an unsecured location.
- Only share evidence with people directly involved in the assessment. Do not post recordings to social media or share in open group chats.
- If video is not appropriate in a particular moment, a written note or voice memo made immediately afterwards is a perfectly acceptable alternative.
How Your OT Turns Your Notes Into a Report
Here is why working with an occupational therapist matters so much in this process. Your daily observations are raw material. Your OT is trained to translate that raw material into the functional language that NDIS assessors, planners, and delegates are looking for.
A Functional Capacity Assessment from a registered OT takes your observations, adds standardised clinical assessment tools, direct observation, and professional analysis, and turns all of it into a structured report that speaks directly to the NDIS criteria for "reasonable and necessary" supports.
The more specific and consistent your own notes are before you come to us, the more accurate and complete the resulting report will be. We can only write what we know. Your daily observations tell us things about real life at home that no amount of clinic-based assessment can replace.
Where to start today: open a note on your phone right now and write down the last significant moment of difficulty you saw. Date it, describe exactly what happened, name the support provided, and note how long it took. That is your first entry. Do the same thing tomorrow. Keep going. By the time your assessment comes around, you will have something genuinely useful to share.
Frequently Asked Questions
Evidence for an NDIS assessment should show the functional impact of disability on everyday life, not just the diagnosis itself. This includes dated observations of specific daily tasks, the support required to complete them, how long tasks take, how often difficulties occur, and what happens when support is not available. Carer diaries, photos, voice memos, teacher reports, therapy notes, and allied health assessments all count as evidence.
The NDIA is moving to a functional impact model, meaning funding decisions are increasingly based on how disability affects daily life rather than on diagnosis alone. The new I-CAN v6 assessment tool covers 12 areas of daily life. Participants with clear, specific, real-world evidence of how their disability affects each of those areas are in the strongest position going into an assessment or plan review.
A good observation includes the date and time, the specific task or activity, what exactly happened, who was present and in what role, how much assistance was provided, how long it took, and what the consequence was for the person's independence or safety. Avoid vague language. Instead of "had a meltdown", write: "became distressed at 7.40am when routine changed, required 20 minutes of one-on-one support to regulate, could not attend school."
Yes. Photos and short videos with timestamps can be useful evidence, particularly for mobility, transfers, or daily living tasks that are difficult to describe in words. Always get informed consent from anyone who appears in the recording, store files securely, and never share recordings on public platforms or in unsecured group chats.
The I-CAN v6 is a support needs assessment tool being introduced by the NDIA. It covers 12 areas of daily life and is used by trained NDIA assessors in a conversation with the participant to understand what support is needed. Having clear, specific real-world examples ready for each of these 12 areas will help the assessor build an accurate picture of genuine need.
Working with an OT before your NDIS assessment or plan review is strongly recommended. An OT can conduct a Functional Capacity Assessment, which provides clinical evidence of how your disability affects daily life. This report is one of the most powerful pieces of supporting evidence you can submit. An OT can also help you understand which everyday observations to capture and how to present them clearly.
Want Help Preparing for Your NDIS Assessment or Plan Review?
Our occupational therapists come to you across Gold Coast and Brisbane. We can complete a Functional Capacity Assessment, help you understand your evidence, and prepare a report that gives your NDIS assessment the best possible foundation. No referral needed.
About Capability Support Services: Registered NDIS provider based in Coomera, Queensland. Our mobile OT team delivers Functional Capacity Assessments, sensory profiling, behaviour support, speech pathology, and psychology across Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Australia-wide via telehealth. Learn more about our team
