Why NDIS debate is hurting autistic children in Australia

As the debate over the National Disability Insurance Scheme intensifies, profoundly autistic children are being left behind, argues Shannon Eeles.

Opinion: As the debate over the National Disability Insurance Scheme intensifies, profoundly autistic children are being left behind.

On the current path, evidence-based intensive early intervention services – services that work for these children – will vanish.

Increasing numbers of children aged two to six years are being refused funding for our early intervention services – many without formal explanation from the National Disability Insurance Agency as to why.

In the past month, 17 children had to stop services due to funding restrictions.

For 25 years, Autism Partnership has worked with some of Australia’s most vulnerable autistic children: these children can’t communicate with their parents, aren’t yet toilet trained and can show behaviours like self-injury or aggression because the world doesn’t understand them. 

Autism Partnership CEO Shannon Eeles. Picture: Supplied

We know early intervention programs work – our data backs it up.

Autism Partnership followed the progress of 154 children who attended our Little Learners early intervention program between 2011 and 2022: 84 per cent showed an accelerated rate of learning in critical developmental areas.

Early intervention can be the key to a child learning to communicate, connecting with others and participating in family outings and activities.

Not every child needs intensive intervention, but there is a group of Australian children who do. 

We are seeing an increasing number of children whose funding is so restricted that they cannot access the services that will make a difference.

Over the past two years, 100 per cent of the children in our services have received an insufficient initial NDIA funding plan and found themselves in the review and appeals process.

Every family had their initial NDIA planning decisions overturned and ultimately received more funding – but it took up to 21 months.

This delay puts increasing pressure on families and disrupts children’s progress. When it comes to early intervention, any delay is too long.

In a few months, when NDIS Minister Bill Shorten boasts about reducing the costs of the scheme, it won’t be fraudsters who are sacrificed.

It will come at the expense of profoundly autistic children.

Shannon Eeles is the CEO of not-for-profit service provider Autism Partnership

Originally published as Why NDIS debate is hurting autistic children in Australia