Sensory Assessment

Sensory Assessment for Adults and Adolescents — Occupational Therapy in Melbourne

A sensory assessment looks at how you take in and respond to everyday sensory information — sound, touch, movement, light, taste and smell — and how that affects your daily life. For some people, a busy supermarket is exhausting. For others, it's hard to stay alert without constant movement. Neither is unusual, and both can be worked with once they're understood.

At Ability Rehab in Ivanhoe East, our occupational therapists complete sensory assessments for adolescents and adults across Melbourne. The assessment produces a clear picture of your sensory patterns and, more importantly, practical strategies for the situations you actually find difficult — at home, at work, at study, or out in the community.

What is a Sensory Assessment?

A sensory assessment is a structured evaluation of how your nervous system processes sensory information, and how you respond to it. It isn't a test you pass or fail, and it isn't a diagnosis. What it produces is a profile of your sensory preferences and sensitivities, and what those mean in practice. Our therapists primarily use the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, which scores your responses across the four sensory processing patterns.

Who a Sensory Assessment Can Help

A sensory assessment is often useful when sensory differences are getting in the way of everyday activities. People are commonly referred when they are:

• Autistic or have ADHD, and want to understand their sensory profile and how to work with it
• Finding work, study or social environments draining or difficult to tolerate
• Experiencing sensory changes after a stroke, brain injury or neurological condition
• Living with an intellectual disability where sensory factors may be contributing to distress or behaviours of concern
• Finding that anxiety or overwhelm seems tied to particular environments
• Seeking evidence to support NDIS funding for supports, equipment or environmental changes
• Wanting practical strategies for sensory overload or for staying alert and regulated

What Happens During a Sensory Assessment

1. Referral and background information We confirm the reason for the assessment and the funding pathway, and gather background information, including any existing reports.
2. Standardised assessment A conversation about your daily routines, your environments and what you'd like to change, and completion of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile. With your agreement, a family member or support worker may contribute their observations.
3. Clinical observation Your therapist observes you undertaking usual tasks in different environments — at home, at work, or in the community.
4. Interpretation, report and feedback Your therapist interprets all of the results and develops recommendations that address the functional issues you've identified. You receive a written report and a feedback session to go through the findings together.

How long does a sensory assessment take?

A sensory assessment is a complex process that includes gathering background information, conducting a standardised assessment, and undertaking clinical observation of you undertaking usual tasks in different environments. Once this has been completed, the clinician then interprets all of the assessment results and uses this information to develop intervention recommendations that address functional issues that you have identified or would like to work on. The whole process, including report writing, takes approximately 20 hours.

What's in Your Sensory Assessment Report

• Background and reason for referral
• Assessment method — the tools used and any observation settings
• Your sensory profile — results across the four patterns and six sensory areas
• What this means day to day — the findings translated into your actual environments and routines
• Strategies and recommendations — practical adjustments, environmental changes, equipment, and approaches to try
• Recommendations for supports or funding, where relevant
• Goals — what you want to be able to do, and how progress could be measured

Three Ways to Access Therapy

We offer three ways to access therapy, so you can choose whichever works best for you.

Costs and Funding

Sensory assessments are priced on the clinical time involved — the appointment, scoring and interpretation, report writing, and feedback. We provide a written estimate before the assessment begins.

Common funding pathways include:

• NDIS — billed under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living at the occupational therapy rate in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements. NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed participants are all supported.
• Home Care Packages — through allied health budgets.
• Private fee-for-service — for clients without funding.
• Medicare Chronic Condition Management — a partial rebate may be available with a GP referral.

For details on private fees and rebates, visit our Medicare & Private Fees page.

Related Occupational Therapy Services

A sensory assessment often connects with other occupational therapy support. Our team also provides:

Sensory Assessments Across Melbourne

Our clinic is in Ivanhoe East and we see clients from across Melbourne, with a concentration of work through the north-east:

How to Request a Sensory Assessment

• Submit a referral through our Make a Referral form, or call 0478 491 188
• Our admin team will confirm the details and funding pathway within one business day
• You'll receive a written estimate and we'll book the first appointment

Support coordinators, plan managers, GPs and family members can all submit a referral on someone's behalf.

Sensory Assessment – Frequently Asked Questions