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Parents demand answers after autistic child was locked in school bike yard

By bobb |
ACT Government. Education logo and text

Sarah Lansdown

Parents of child with autism who was locked in a school bike yard by a staff member are demanding to know why they were not informed until almost three months later, despite it being serious enough to warrant three separate investigations.

The parents were told that on May 7 their son, who is Indigenous, climbed into an unlocked outdoor bike storage facility at his ACT public primary school.

ABS SDAC 2022 data release - autism diagnosis rates continue to rise

By bobb |
Australian Bureau of Statistics logo

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released some analysis of data collected in 2022 for their Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers (SDAC) - see https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/2022 

There is a brief section on autistic Australians. It says simply: 

Autism and disability

In 2022:

SA - Hope for autism assessments in schools

By bobb |
Counsellor (pictured behind desk with laptop open) and owner of Stepping Stones Wellbeing Karmyn Smith is hopeful autism assessments will be offered in regional SA soon.

Melanie Riley

A MOUNT Gambier/Berrin counsellor has welcomed the introduction of a $330,000 tender that will enable up to 100 eligible school students to access autism assessments at no cost to their families.

Autism assessments will now be made easier with the initiative, which follows the introduction of the Autism Inclusion Teacher program, which has already seen an investment of $28.8 million to provide access to an autism inclusion teacher in every public primary school, including Reception to Year 12 schools.

NDIS reforms boosted by greater involvement in co-design with disability representative organisations

By convenor |

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has strengthened investment in co-designing key reforms to the NDIS, through a funding boost for Disability Representative and Carer Organisations (DRCOs).

The 27 organisations, who will receive up to $10.7 million of funding, collectively represent thousands of people with disability and their families.

FOI 23/24-201 and FOI 24/25-0731 - development and review of NDIA's AAT CM Guide – Applied Behavioural Analysis

By convenor |
paper with"Freedom of Information" on it ... being shredded

Eventually, the NDIA delivered its outcome from A4's FOI request for information about the development of the NDIA's ABA policy for young children - see https://a4.org.au/node/2567

The NDIA's FOI response is available below.

The response indicates:

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