Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) sent a submission to the  Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for its Inquiry into Provision of services under the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention Approach. 

The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP

Prime Minister

Parliament House

CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Prime Minister

Subject: call for a Royal Commission into abuse of people with disability

A Select Committee of the South Australian parliament produced this report.

This report has a lot to say about autistic students (students with autism, students with ASD, students on the autism spectrum). It includes a lot of recommendations. A couple of the recommendations are specific to how autistic students are educated.

A month ago, a NDIS planner in the ACT told a mother that the NDIA had "two publically available reports that the NDIS is using to avoid funding ABA therapies in kids aged 5 and above i.e. school-aged kids".  The NDIS planner told the mother:

1. once kids reach school, the schools are meant to fund appropriate behavioural management plans (also occupational and speech therapy),
2. as kids after school are too tired to have therapy, then these unnamed studies state that ABA therapy is no longer effective, and
3. the NDIS would not fund ABA for kids at school. 

One thing that is important to know about autism up front: There is no cure for autism. So, products or treatments claiming to “cure” autism do not work as claimed. The same is true of many products claiming to “treat” autism or autism-related symptoms. Some may carry significant health risks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays an important role in warning these companies against making improper claims about their products’ intended use as a treatment or cure for autism or autism-related symptoms.