Linda Reynolds warns of NDIS autism ‘bias’

Former NDIS minister Linda Reynolds says soaring rates of ­autistic children registered on the National Disability Insurance Scheme are ‘shocking’.

Former NDIS minister Linda Reynolds. Picture: The Australian / Gary Ramage

Former NDIS minister Linda Reynolds says soaring rates of ­autistic children registered on the National Disability Insurance Scheme are “shocking”, arguing too many children are entering and remaining on the scheme than was first envisaged.

Senator Reynolds called for Labor to establish a comprehensive taskforce with state and territory counterparts to investigate high rates of autistic children on the NDIS, with 10 per cent of all Australian boys registered for support.

Experts warn that children are being diagnosed with more severe autism than their characteristics warrant to give them a greater chance of securing a place on the NDIS, boosting participant numbers and putting further pressure on the $34bn-a-year scheme’s ­financial sustainability.

Senator Reynolds, who held the portfolio from 2021 to 2022, said doctors, advocates and parents often felt compelled to do “whatever it takes” to get their children accepted into the NDIS, and that policymakers must investigate bias among diagnosing clinicians. “The NDIS is a world-first insurance scheme designed to provide life-changing support to seriously and permanently disabled Australians,” Senator Reynolds told The Australian.

“Today, far more children are entering and staying on the scheme than was envisaged when the scheme was established. It is shocking that today, 1 in 10 of our young boys are on the NDIS. Either 10 per cent of young men are becoming increasingly disabled, or something else is happening.” She backed growing calls for independent functional assessments when determining whether children with autism are eligible for the scheme rather than relying on the child’s own clinicians, saying a standardised assessment model was “essential to ensure the scheme’s sustainability”.

First proposed by former Coalition NDIS minister Stuart Robert in 2020, it would mean people entering on to the NDIS would need to be assessed by a government contract allied health professional unknown to them.

Senator Reynolds said a standardised assessment tool was recommended by the Productivity Commission in 2011, and would help level the playing field between affluent and less well-off families. The proposal was dropped by the former Coalition government under backlash from Labor and autism advocates.

“When I became minister for the NDIS I was shocked at the inequity of the scheme, between those who lived in affluent postcodes and those who did not,” she said.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, who has commissioned an independent review into the scheme, said Labor would consider ways to improve the scheme, including on eligibility. Mr Shorten invited Senator Reynolds to make a submission to the review, arguing he was “cleaning up the mess of (her) and six of her predecessors”.

The Australian understands soaring rates of children with autism on the NDIS is being looked at as part of the government’s wide sweeping review into the scheme.

“The root and branch review of the NDIS currently under way will consider opportunities to improve participants’ experience of the NDIS, including a better understanding of the evidence needed to support decisions about a person’s eligibility for the NDIS,” Mr Shorten said.

Opposition NDIS spokesman Michael Sukkar said the government should provide evidence of children being misdiagnosed, and that Labor must be upfront with Australians on any planned cuts to the scheme.

He said children with autism faced significant challenges, with many requiring high levels of support to help them “flourish”.