Alan Jones gives a monologue on what Bob Buckley thinks/says ... 

then talks with Prof. Andrew Whithouse.

This is for Alan Jones fans.

http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-%…

For the first time, a nationally-consistent approach to supporting children with developmental delay or disability will exist with the release today of the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Approach.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has worked with some of Australia’s leading early childhood intervention practitioners and researchers to design a best-practice approach that is family-centred and importantly, supports children to achieve good outcomes on a case-by-case basis.

The $22 billion national disability insurance scheme agency will release a scant six-page “approach” to early intervention, its long-awaited strategy to deal with ballooning numbers of children diagnosed with autism and potential cost over-runs.

The six-page document has been criticised by the sector as being “laughably deficient” and contains no detail at all about how children will be included in the scheme with the key initiative being to split more than half of the 106,000 children with a disability into “family” support which won’t cost the NDIS any money.

A panel of autism experts commissioned to advise the National Disability Insurance Agency on the condition has recommended children with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis receive at least 20 hours a week of early intervention, delivered either one-to-one or in a small group.

In a report to be released on Friday, the panel, which comprised a range of academics, teachers and advocates,  backed the best practice intervention for young children, which can cost up to $80,000 a year.

Examine the teeth of a reticent patient in their car? Sure.

Use a heavy X-ray apron as a blanket to soothe a patient with autism? Happens all the time.  

"Jess is treated with dignity and respect, and why shouldn't she be?"

Sandra Younghusband

Andrew Whitehouse, University of Western Australia

One of the great and enduring mysteries of autism is what causes the brain to develop so differently. The behavioural differences of many individuals with autism are so apparent that it seems intuitive that the causes would also be obvious.

Media Release

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, the national grassroot autism advocacy group known as A4, regards the Health Department's omission of autism from its recent report on The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents as negligent.