NDIS Assistive Technology Trials: Documenting Choice, Setup and Outcomes

Start With the Participant’s Goal and Choice

An assistive technology trial record should show what the participant wants to do, which task or environment the trial relates to, and how the participant chose to explore an option. Do not treat a device as suitable just because it is available, familiar, or recommended by another person. Record the participant's preferences, communication method, questions, and any support used to compare options.

Separate participant goals from a clinician's assessment, provider recommendation, and funding decision. Support workers should document what they observed and did within their role, not make an equipment prescription or promise that a device will be funded. The participant communication and assessment documentation guide can help keep the person's voice visible through assessment and planning.

Record Trial Setup and Conditions

Document the device or option trialled, provider or source, date and setting, agreed purpose, setup steps completed, training or demonstration offered, and any limitations that could affect the result. Record who configured or advised on the equipment and their role. Note whether the trial occurred in the participant's usual environment or a different setting, and whether assistance, adjustments, or additional time were provided.

Record safety concerns, equipment faults, discomfort, access barriers, or unexpected outcomes factually and use the authorised clinical or technical escalation process. Do not attempt a repair, adjustment, or transfer outside training and authorisation. Keep serial numbers, quotations, and personal information in the approved record location and avoid unnecessary exposure in general notes.

Capture Feedback and Functional Outcomes

Ask the participant how the option worked for the chosen task and record their feedback in their own words or communication format where practical. Describe observable outcomes such as whether the participant could reach a control, move between locations, communicate a message, or complete a chosen activity with the trial setup. Include assistance required, fatigue or environmental factors if observed, and what the participant wants to try next.

Compare outcomes with the original goal, not with an assumption that more independence is always the preferred outcome. A participant may value comfort, privacy, safety, reduced effort, or social participation. The health and wellbeing documentation guide covers linking day-to-day observations to participant goals, while NDIS progress note evidence and outcomes explains how to describe progress without overstating it.

Assistive Technology Trial Documentation Checklist

• Participant's goal, preferred task, environment, and reason for exploring the option.
• Options considered, accessible information provided, questions, and participant's choice.
• Device or option identification, trial dates, location, supplier or source, and setup owner.
• Training, communication support, adjustments, assistance, and conditions that may affect results.
• Participant feedback, observed function, effort, comfort, access, and any barriers or faults.
• Risk or clinical concern, action taken within role, authorised escalation, and response.
• What was learned, what remains uncertain, and the participant's preferred next step.
• Referral, assessment, quotation, and funding request recorded separately from provider observations.
• Decision-maker, action owner, follow-up date, and how the participant will receive an update.

De-Identified Example

"Participant R chose to trial a tablet-based communication app during her usual afternoon art group to see whether it helped her request materials without leaving the table. The therapist configured the app and showed Participant R how to select three preferred phrases. Support Worker L provided the agreed communication support and did not change device settings. Participant R selected 'blue paint' and 'more paper' on four occasions and later said, using her device, 'I like this here.' She asked to trial the app in the garden before deciding whether to continue. The group room was quiet and the device was fully charged; outdoor use has not yet been tested. Therapist owns the next trial, scheduled with Participant R for 12 August. No funding or suitability decision was recorded." This example records a trial observation, not a recommendation or funding outcome.

Close the Loop With the Participant

Record who will arrange the next trial, referral, assessment, or discussion, and how the participant's questions will be answered accessibly. If a device is unavailable or unsuitable for the current trial, document the reason, alternative options raised, and any decision still pending. Keep the participant's expressed choice separate from provider, clinician, supplier, and NDIA decisions. For service-level delivery and follow-up records, see the NDIS service delivery evidence guide.

This article provides general documentation education, not clinical, equipment prescription, legal, or NDIS funding advice. Follow participant direction, professional scope, current NDIS requirements, authorised trial procedures, privacy controls, and applicable safety processes.