For therapists and clinicians
This page is for occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, behaviour support practitioners, and other allied health professionals working with families who use or are considering the Nelli Smart Hub.
Everything on this page is designed to give you what you need quickly: clinical information, NDIS guidance, and downloadable resources.
What is the Nelli Smart Hub?
Nelli is a purpose-built assistive technology device designed to support children and adults with daily routines, task initiation, time awareness, and independence in activities of daily living.
Critically, Nelli is a closed system. It has no web browser, no app store, no social media, no streaming, and no gaming. It cannot be used as a general-purpose tablet or smart device. Its sole function is supporting routine management and independence through structured visual schedules, audio prompts, and a reward-based system.
This closed-system design is clinically significant, particularly for participants with demand avoidance, attention difficulties, or sensory sensitivities, because it removes the distraction and dysregulation that generic devices can introduce.
Nelli supports participants across the following NDIS functional capacity domains:
| Domain | How Nelli contributes |
|---|---|
| Self-care | Supports development of self-care routines through step-based visual and audio prompting, building consistency and reducing reliance on adult cues |
| Self-management | Reduces perceived demands by shifting prompts from carer to device, supporting child-led responsibility and reducing task avoidance |
| Learning | Reinforces sequencing, memory, and time perception through repeatable daily routines |
| Social interaction | Supports smoother transitions between activities and environments by providing predictable routine cues |
Nelli was developed with input from Australian occupational therapists, behaviour therapists, and primary school educators. It is suitable for children and adults across a range of neurotypes, including autistic participants, those with ADHD, and participants with executive functioning difficulties.
→ Download the FAQ for Clinicians
→ Download the Product Description
NDIS registration
Nelli Co Pty Ltd is a registered NDIS provider, registered since 25 February 2025.
You can verify Nelli's registration at any time using the NDIS Provider Finder:
Nelli is registered across four support categories. When recommending Nelli in a report, select the registration group that best aligns with the participant's goals and primary areas of need:
| Group | Support category | When to recommend |
|---|---|---|
| 0103 | Assistive products for personal care and safety | Goals relating to self-care routines, personal hygiene, dressing, morning and evening routines |
| 0112 | Assistive equipment for recreation | Goals relating to leisure, social participation, or community engagement through structured routines |
| 0123 | Assistive products for household tasks | Goals relating to household task management, independence at home, domestic routines |
| 0124 | Communication and information equipment | Goals relating to task sequencing, communication support, information processing, time awareness |
Where a participant's goals span multiple categories, select the one most directly aligned with their primary support need. If unsure, 0103 is the most commonly used registration group for Nelli claims.
What we know helps claims get approved
Based on the claims we have seen approved and rejected, the following information in your report makes the biggest difference. This is not about how to write a clinical report. It is Nelli-specific guidance based on what plan managers and NDIA delegates respond to.
1. Describe the functional limitation clearly
Be specific about what the participant has difficulty doing independently due to their disability, not just their diagnosis. For example: "the participant has difficulty initiating and completing morning self-care tasks without repeated verbal prompting from a carer" is more useful to a plan manager than a diagnostic description alone.
2. Note the nature of the support need
Where relevant, noting that the participant is physically capable of completing routine tasks but has difficulty doing so independently due to cognitive, regulatory, or executive functioning challenges helps clearly establish the nature of the support need. This distinction is useful for plan managers assessing whether the support is reasonable and necessary.
3. Document lower-cost alternatives that were trialled
Note specifically which lower-cost strategies were trialled and why they were insufficient, for example visual schedules, printed checklists, verbal prompting, timers, or apps on existing devices. The more specific the better.
4. State explicitly that Nelli is not a general-purpose device
This is the single most important line for avoiding rejection. Include wording along the lines of: "The Nelli Smart Hub is a closed, single-purpose assistive technology device with no web browser, app store, social media, streaming, or gaming functionality. It cannot be used as a general-purpose tablet or smart device."
5. Link directly to the participant's NDIS goals
Copy the participant's goals from their plan exactly as written, and connect each one to Nelli's specific functions. The more direct the connection, the harder the claim is to reject.
6. Reference the NDIS AT definition
The NDIS defines assistive technology as "equipment or devices that help you do things you can't do because of your disability" and explicitly states that "assistive technology may also help you do something more easily or safely." There is no requirement for physical modification. Referencing this definition in your report directly addresses one of the most common rejection reasons.
If a claim is rejected
Rejections happen more often than they should, and in most cases they are based on a misclassification of Nelli as a generic smart device rather than purpose-built assistive technology.
If your client's claim is rejected, our If your claim is rejected page has everything families need to respond, including ready-to-use wording and the four most common rejection reasons with NDIA-sourced counter-arguments.
We are also happy to assist directly. If you or the family forward the rejection to us at support@nelli.com.au, we can provide additional documentation and respond to the plan manager on the family's behalf.
→ Download the AT Comparison Snapshot — particularly useful for "everyday item" or "lower-cost alternatives exist" rejections
→ If your claim is rejected
Clinical resources
NDIA Written Correspondence (May 2026)
Written response from the NDIA confirming that the Nelli Smart Hub may qualify as low-cost assistive technology where it meets the reasonable and necessary criteria. Useful supporting documentation for reports and reconsideration requests.
Download →FAQ for Clinicians
Product Q&As, clinical considerations, and NDIS funding guidance. Covers task types, sensory customisation, suitability for teens and adults, capacity building, and the AT versus generic device distinction.
Download →Recommendation Letter Template
Suitable for OTs, psychologists, speech pathologists, and behaviour support practitioners. Includes the closed-system statement, registration group checkboxes, and functional limitations guidance.
Download →AT Comparison Snapshot
Clinical comparison of Nelli against lower-cost alternatives including generic tablets, visual schedules, timers, and apps. Explains why no like-for-like alternative exists under $1,500.
Download →Product Description
Full product overview including features, functional capacity domains, behavioural science foundation, and NDIS goal alignment.
Download →Questions or need support?
If you have a question about Nelli's clinical suitability for a specific participant, need additional documentation to support a claim, or want us to respond to a plan manager directly, get in touch. We work with clinicians regularly and understand the NDIS landscape.