Functional Needs Assessment for Adults

At Lycali, assessment and advocacy work together to ensure people are understood, supported and able to access the adjustments they need to thrive. 

Sometimes people know something is not working in their life, but it can be difficult to clearly identify what the challenges are, why they are happening, and what support might help. 

Lycali’s Functional Needs Assessments provide a structured way to explore how a person’s needs affect their everyday functioning, work, home life and overall wellbeing. 

These assessments focus on real-life impact, rather than diagnosis alone. They explore how factors such as neurodivergence, stress, environment, sensory demands and executive functioning interact with everyday responsibilities. 

These assessments may be helpful for adults who: 

• have a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, AuDHD or similar, or are awaiting assessment 

• feel overwhelmed, burnt out, or are struggling to cope 

• are finding work or daily life difficult but cannot clearly explain why 

• have been told they are “managing” despite significant effort 

• need clear evidence of functional impact 

• want support to prevent crisis rather than reach it 

Advocacy is powerful, but effective advocacy relies on clear evidence. 

A specialist assessment helps to: 

• identify what the needs actually are 

• explain why difficulties occur 

• link diagnosis to real-life impact 

• provide professional, structured documentation 

This means advocacy becomes evidence-led, not just voice-led. 

• organisation and executive functioning 

• daily routines and responsibilities 
  stress and emotional regulation.

• managing appointments and life administration 

• environmental and sensory factors that affect functioning

• work or study pressures where relevant 

The outcome is a clear, structured report that helps individuals better understand their needs and communicate these with employers, professionals or services where needed. 

We offer three levels of functional assessment depending on the depth of support required. 

A Life Functioning Skills Summary 
Identification of key priority areas 
Practical recommendations and strategies 
Guidance on possible next steps if further support may be helpful 

For some people, this assessment provides enough clarity and practical guidance to move forward. 
For others, it may help identify whether a more detailed Functional Needs Assessment or workplace assessment would be beneficial. 

Support is provided by an experienced professional.