Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Bill Shorten, has proposed a number of policy changes to the scheme. It is hoped these will ensure its sustainability for future generations. The proposals and legislative amendments follow a nationwide discussion on the need for reform so the NDIS can achieve its original aim to support and empower Australians with disability.
Currently, one in ten children aged between five and seven years are participants of the NDIS. Less discussion has focused on how the introduction and roll-out of the NDIS may have shaped community expectations around early support. For example, many families are now seeking supports that do not align with what experts know is best practice for children with developmental delays or who are autistic.
So what does the evidence say works best for young children diagnosed with autism? And how could reframing community expectations be critical to the success of any policy reform? Around 20% of children in Australia experience developmental delay, and around 3% of children are autistic. Many of these children will require additional support to meet their developmental needs at some time. Depending on its aims, support can be delivered in many places, including within clinical settings, or in settings embedded within everyday life.
Within the NDIS there has been dramatic increases in the delivery of support in specialised clinical settings, such as the clinics of speech pathologists or occupational.
