Changing Minds Pty Ltd

17/05/2026

A question I keep getting from parents right now:

"Can a psychologist actually complete a Functional Capacity Assessment for the NDIS, or do we have to see an OT?"

The short answer is yes.

A clinical psychologist can complete an FCA, and for many children, particularly those with autism, ADHD, learning difficulties, or mental health concerns, a psychologist-led FCA is well-suited to capturing functional impact.

Where an OT typically focuses on physical, sensory, and daily living tasks, a clinical psychologist is trained to assess functional impact in areas like emotional regulation, learning, attention, social functioning, and behaviour. With the NDIS changes rolling out from mid-2026, having the right clinician complete your child's FCA matters more than ever.

I've put together a clear guide explaining what a psychologist-led FCA includes, when it is appropriate, and how it fits within the new I-CAN framework.

Read the full article here:
https://www.changingminds.net.au/insights/can-a-psychologist-complete-a-functional-capacity-assessment

If you have questions or want to chat about whether an FCA is the right step for your family, feel free to get in touch.

If you are preparing for an NDIS plan review or a new access request, you may have come across conflicting advice about who can complete a Functional Capacity Assessment. Some sources suggest only an...

15/05/2026

One’s begging me to get up. One’s begging me not to!

15/05/2026

Floor tiles, the forgotten food group!

13/05/2026

Pick your co-therapist for today!

09/05/2026

“But she shows so much empathy, she can’t be autistic.”

A parent told me this week that her GP said exactly this. About her. And about her son.
It’s one of the most common misconceptions I hear in clinic, and it stops people getting the answers they need.
Empathy isn’t on or off. It’s a dial. Some people sit in the middle. Some people sit at the edges, feeling so much it’s overwhelming, or expressing it differently than expected.
Not missing. Just tuned differently.

Meet Gracey and Oscar, my two golden retrievers who help me unpack the ideas that come up most in clinic.

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

29/04/2026

Guess where we are!

29/04/2026

There’s something Oscar and Gracey understand instinctively that took humans centuries to name: proximity is care.
They don’t ask if you’re okay. They don’t wait to be invited. They just show up and stay close - even in the bathroom, even on the toilet, even in the most unglamorous moments you’d really rather have to yourself.
This is what children are doing when they follow you from room to room, hover while you cook, or appear at your elbow the second you sit down. It’s not manipulation or clinginess. It’s a nervous system reaching for its safe person.
For kids who’ve experienced anxiety or trauma, physical closeness to a trusted adult is genuinely regulating. It’s not a behaviour to fix. It’s attachment doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Oscar and Gracey are absolutely shameless about it, and honestly, same.

28/04/2026

They’ve fought over this exact toy 400 times. Neither one ever ‘wins.’ They drop it, walk off, and 30 seconds later they’re cuddling. Kids do the same thing. Loud, dramatic, looks intense - but a lot of what looks like ‘fighting’ is just nervous system regulation. Big feelings out, then back to baseline. The job often isn’t to stop it. It’s to stay calm beside them while it passes.

27/04/2026

This is Gracey after approximately four minutes apart.

Full reunion protocol. No half measures.
What looks like over-the-top affection is actually attachment behaviour doing exactly what it’s meant to do. When someone we’re bonded to returns, our nervous system registers it — and responds. Gracey isn’t being dramatic. She’s being a mammal.
Kids do this too, just not always with licks. Some children ramp up when a parent returns — getting louder, clingier, harder to settle. It can feel like the wrong reaction after a long day. But it is often the same thing Gracey is doing here: the attachment system coming back online, checking that the safe person is really there, really available, really staying.
It doesn’t always look like love. But it usually is.

Gracey has no ambiguity about any of this. You’re here, she loves you, and she needs you to know it immediately.

27/04/2026

Most people would look at Oscar here and see a dog being dramatic about waking up. What I see is a nervous system taking its time.
Yawning in animals - and in kids - is often a sign of the body downregulating. Coming back online after rest. It is not laziness, and it is not defiance. It is the system doing exactly what it needs to do.
A lot of children, especially those carrying anxiety or big feelings, struggle with transitions. Waking up, moving between activities, coming home from school, getting ready to leave. What can look like opposition is often just a nervous system that needs more runway than we’re giving it.
Oscar asks for nothing, but he always takes the time he needs. Some kids are the same. They are not being difficult. They are just still arriving.
If your mornings are a battleground, you might not have a behaviour problem. You might just have a kid who needs a longer runway.
Oscar, for his part, needed three yawns and a full body stretch. Totally reasonable.

07/01/2026

We're back in the office for 2026. The team has returned and appointments have resumed.

We hope you had a restful holiday period whilst we were away. Looking forward to seeing you all. Please call or email us to book in your appointments!