The NDIS responded to A4's FoI request (20/12/2019). The two document can be downloaded from the links below.

A4 had some follow up correspondence with the NDIA about the NDIA's response to A4's email to the Ministers. That correspondence is available at http://a4.org.au/node/1588 and http://a4.org.au/node/1654. The NDIA omits this correspondence from its FoI documents below.

Sarah DeWeerdt 

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors constitute one of two criteria that define autism in the diagnostic manual for psychiatry.

Michael Marshall

Just two factors assessed in childhood predict how well people with autism will function as adults, according to a new study: intelligence quotient (IQ) and behavioral problems such as hyperactivity¹.

Pippa Raga

From the moment the trailer for Freeform's newest show, Everything's Gonna Be Okay, dropped, viewers were wondering whether actress Kayla Cromer was really autistic.

Craig Goodall

Researcher Craig Goodall asked autistic pupils what they wanted from their teachers – and their answers surprised him

During my PhD research, autistic young people told me that mainstream education was a place they came to dread. 

Australian society seems to be afraid of telling stories about people with disabilities that show the truth of what it really is: difficult, challenging, exhausting and sometimes painful.

Authentic representation matters and when creators, writers and the TV networks get these stories wrong, it distorts how society views people with a disability.

Findings from NIH-funded study could inform treatment strategies.

Bushfire season is a stressful time for all of us, including children on the autism spectrum. Children on the autism spectrum can sense that adults around them are anxious, fearful and overwhelmed. Additionally, their anxiety increases as their routines, schedules and living situations are disrupted during the fires.

We would like to offer some suggestions for you to help your child adjust to the changes and the stresses related to the fires.