Occupational therapy assessment is a critical component of ethical assistance animal practice. An assistance animal should not be recommended based on diagnosis alone, but through careful consideration of the person’s functional needs, occupational goals, environment, preferences and desired outcomes.

Occupational therapists are not responsible for training assistance animals. However, they play an important role within interdisciplinary teams by applying occupational reasoning to understand disability-related barriers, identify meaningful participation goals, determine when an assistance animal may be an appropriate intervention and ensure recommendations remain person-centred, evidence-informed and focused on both human outcomes and animal welfare.

This unit explores the application of occupational therapy models and frameworks within assistance animal practice, including occupational profiling, functional assessment, goal setting and clinical reasoning. It examines how occupational therapists assess the relationship between the person, environment, occupation and animal to determine whether an assistance animal may provide meaningful benefit.

The unit also explores the development of functional recommendations and professional reports, including documenting disability-related impacts, occupational goals, proposed assistance animal roles, expected outcomes and the rationale supporting recommendations. Learners will consider the importance of collaboration, informed decision-making and recognising when an assistance animal may not be the most appropriate intervention.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

• Explain the role of occupational therapy within assistance animal practice and the importance of functional, person-centred assessment.
• Apply occupational therapy models and frameworks to understand the relationship between the person, environment, occupation and assistance animal.
• Develop an occupational profile that identifies meaningful activities, routines, roles, strengths, preferences and participation goals.
• Identify disability-related functional impacts and distinguish between diagnosis, impairment, activity limitations and participation restrictions.
• Conduct functional reasoning to determine whether an assistance animal may be an appropriate intervention and identify when additional supports or alternative interventions may be required.
• Develop meaningful occupational goals that guide assistance animal recommendations and outcome measurement.
• Apply clinical reasoning by integrating evidence, professional expertise, lived experience, environmental factors and animal welfare considerations.
• Develop clear and defensible assistance animal recommendations that document functional needs, proposed roles, expected outcomes and review considerations.
• Demonstrate understanding of rights-based, ethical and collaborative approaches to assistance animal assessment and recommendation.
• Recognise the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between occupational therapists, handlers, trainers, veterinarians, allied health professionals and other relevant stakeholders.