Considerations for occupational therapy assessment for Indigenous children in Australia

Background: To date, the literature specifically relating to occupational therapy assessment of Australian Indigenous children is lacking. This article aims to present occupational therapists with practice guidelines for conducting assessments with primary school-aged Indigenous children in Australia. It highlights key considerations to be made prior to assessment, reviews potentially culturally relevant assessment tools and discusses key principles to guide assessment practice. Method: A literature review was carried out with the aim of investigating: (i) Australian Indigenous culture in relation to health and paediatric development; (ii) current practices for assessment with Australian Indigenous children; and (c) paediatric assessment tools and their potential use with Australian Indigenous children. Results: Research relating to specific assessments does highlight some pertinent points about their use with children from non-Western cultures. Conclusions: Conducting culturally relevant assessment requires a combination of the right tools, an adaptive approach to both understanding and conducting assessments and, above all, an appreciation that each child is unique.