Australia's leading psychologists and disability experts have raised concerns about the new I-CAN assessment tool chosen by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to decide support plans for NDIS participants. The I-CAN tool, a three-hour interview feeding into a computer system, is planned to be rolled out from mid-2026. The NDIA calls it the "gold standard" and says it was developed and tested over 20 years across different disabilities. However, Dr Kelly Gough, president of the Australian Psychological Society, said the tool has not been fully validated for many disability types and is worried that some assessors won't have allied health backgrounds. "We don’t have any published evidence that I’m aware of that it’s an effective or a valid tool if it’s done by people who don’t have all that other knowledge and background," Gough explained. She also noted the tool struggles with acquired brain injury and psychosocial conditions. Dr Marjorie Collins, president of the Institute of Clinical Psychologists, said, "The I-CAN has not been tested on very many populations at all." She called rolling it out broadly without more research "reprehensible." Experts also urge testing on diverse groups, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse and First Nations backgrounds. Jenny Karavolos of the Australian Autism Alliance said, "We haven’t found any studies that show it can reliably capture the diversity of autistic support needs." She called for pilot testing with a large, diverse autistic group and clearer plans for the rollout. The NDIA spokesperson said the tool would be introduced gradually over five years, refined to meet NDIS needs, and that consultations with the community are ongoing. They stressed the I-CAN is "appropriate for use across all disability types" and "extensively researched." The experts warn ignoring these cautions could cause "terrible outcomes," complaints, and even tragedies before corrections happen.