Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia

Dr Helen Nugent
Chairman

Mr Robert De Luca
Chief Executive Officer

Thank you for you letter, 18 May 2018 in response to A4's media release.

Mr Peter de Natris did not "advise [me] by phone on 15 May 2018" of anything. He did not call me. I note that a spokesperson for your organisation told The Guardian (see https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/18/ndis-mistakenly-posts-changes-restricting-access-for-autistic-children) that someone from the NDIA called me ... but that is not true.

There is concern older Australians on the autism spectrum are being let down by mental health professionals who lack awareness of the developmental condition.

Researchers are calling for urgent training of psychiatrists on the diagnosis and management of autism in adults, who are at greater risk of suicide.

Older Australians on the autism spectrum are being let down by a gap in mental health services for autistic adults, a gathering of psychiatrists has been told.

Rick Morton

The agency running the ­$22 billion National Disability ­Insurance Scheme is spending up to $10 million a year on barristers and legal services in a bid to arrest the dramatic rise in the number of people successfully appealing for more money in their support packages or trying to get into the scheme.

The agency has been explicit in its fears over the future of the scheme, saying the risk to its ­financial stability is “extreme” from unfavourable court and tribunal decisions that have the ­potential to “vastly increase the scope of both access and reasonable and necessary supports”.

Sherryn Groch

Canberrans are leaving the National Disability Insurance Scheme at the highest rate in the country, as services and advocates in the ACT call for an overhaul of the scheme's internal bureaucracy.

Between September and December 2017, 139 people joined the scheme in the ACT but 101 others left. Figures provided by the National Disability Insurance Agency, which runs the scheme, confirmed 381 Canberrans had exited the NDIS since 2013.

James Hancock

The mother of a boy with autism who was assaulted with spanners outside a Melbourne school wants police to charge his teenage attackers.

Quinn Lahiff-Jenkins, 14, was attacked outside Northcote High School, in the city's inner-north, on Tuesday afternoon.

They had armed themselves with spanners and turned on another boy when he tried to help the victim.

Susan Scutti, CNN

Story highlights

• The CDC estimate is based on calculations on 11 communities across the nation
• Disparity gaps between white children and both black and Hispanic children are closing

One in 59 US children has autism, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The NDIS regularly posts its Q&A items. For example, the NDIA's Q&A - 9 April 2018 says:

My son has Autism level 1 and not eligible for the NDIS, however he was eligible for previous government support. Why can he not access the NDIS and what other avenues do we now have?

The ECEI approach provides an opportunity for children aged 0-6 years of age with developmental delay or disability to access timely, targeted and individualised short term support, build on family strengths and available community and mainstream supports. Early Childhood Partners will work with families and carers to link them into programs in the community which help them to support their child.

Media Release

As declared by the United Nations, the 2018 World Autism Awareness Day focuses on the importance of empowering autistic women and girls and involving them and their representative organisations in policy and decision making to address these challenges.

"Girls with disabilities are less likely to complete primary school and more likely to be marginalised or denied access to education. Women with disabilities have a lower rate of employment than men with disabilities and women without disabilities. ...

Paul Micallef, an autistic adult, made a video aimed at parents of children with autism, especially parents of newly-diagnosed children. It's positive; it's a message about your future and your child's future.

Does your NDIS plan fall short? This article may help understand NDIS strategies and tactics ... and how you (and others) might combat them.

Sam Paior - NDIS News

Budget pressures are mounting, staffing for the NDIA and its LAC partners is becoming more and more difficult, and dissatisfaction with the Scheme is growing, as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) made a big, pointy, important decision last week.

Section 34 of the NDIS Act, the “Reasonable and Necessary” definition, is among the most important, and contentious, frameworks of the NDIS. It is used to determine what supports and services will be funded in an NDIS plan. However, its interpretation varies, almost on a day to day basis, with the NDIS trying desperately to protect its budgets. The AAT’s ruling last week on the case of young LNMT (name redacted to protect her privacy) has set a precedent that is indeed, a game changer.