Dear Mr Buckley,

Please find attached correspondence from William Garton.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions in regards to this correspondence.

Kind Regards

Executive Assistant to William Garton,

General Manager – Access and Operations Management,

Participants and Planning

National Disability Insurance Agency

Mr Bob Buckley

Convenor

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4)

Dear Mr Buckley,

Thank you for your correspondence dated 2 February 2017.

As previously discussed, the Early Childhood Early Intervention Approach (ECEI) aims to ensure children are provided with the right level of support, at the right time, for the right length of time. Working in collaboration with sector experts, evidence-based research has been used to design ECEI as a family-centred approach.

The NDIA is working with a number of sector experts and specialist providers to support better outcomes for children and their families. The collaborative work conducted in Townsville is an example of how the NDIS acknowledges the evidence and research that supports targeted interventions for some children with specific needs such as Cerebral Palsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The ECEI Approach supports the attainment of life long functional outcomes for children and will fund reasonable and necessary supports that are tailored to the individualised needs of the child and their families.

As a specialist early childhood intervention provider, AEIOU have worked collaboratively with the NDIA and Early Childhood Partner to assist the transition of children and families into the Scheme. This collaboration has ensured positive communication pathways and assisted the development of reasonable and necessary individualised support plans for children.

The NDIA values all feedback in the continuous improvement of the delivery of early childhood intervention support under the ECEI approach.

As indicated at the teleconference conducted on 21 December 2016, NDIA would be very pleased to meet with you again in six months' time so we can discuss the Agency's progress on rolling out its ECEI approach nationally. If you are agreeable to this, we will be in contact to arrange a meeting at a suitable time and date in the week beginning 19^th June 2017.

Thank you again for your communication.

General Manager

Access and Operations Management, Participants and Planning

20 March 2017