BY JESSICA WRIGHT

Autism will cost the U.S. $268 billion this year — roughly 1.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product¹. By 2025, the price tag could balloon to $461 billion.

Children were allegedly locked in cage-like structures at a Victorian special school and restrained with straps at another, triggering separate investigations by the Education Department.

A consultancy hired by the department is investigating practices at Bendigo Special Developmental School to determine whether there is "a risk of danger or risk of inappropriate treatment" for students.

A separate probe by an independent education consultant is examining complaints raised by parents at Monash Special Developmental School.

THE state’s peak autism body says it warned the Government that up to 11,000 local children would need support from the national disability insurance scheme — about double the 5000 planned for — but was ignored.

Now the state and federal governments remain in a stalemate over who is going to pay for the thousands of extra children eligible for disability services and equipment.

In the meantime, families are facing growing delays to be assessed and approved for funding.

A manager at Victoria's biggest disability services provider Yooralla has been jailed for four years after he was caught by a hidden camera preying on a vulnerable cognitively impaired woman in his office.

County Court judge Paul Grant said Timothy Hampson, 52, had abused his position of trust in a shocking way.

"You put your own desires above your obligation to respect your victim's rights, her autonomy and personal dignity," the judge said on Monday when jailing Hampson for four years with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme has stopped ­creating support plans for some children in South Australia as a botched funding strategy for the state, which underestimated the number of participants by half, begins to bite.

The trial was originally funded for 5085 places despite evidence that about 10,000 children would be eligible. That figure has almost been reached without any extra money flowing from either the South Australian government or the federal government.

Almost 4700 plans have so far been made.

Few would dispute that children who are exhibiting signs or symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder should be referred and tested. It is when we talk about screening every child for autism that the debate becomes heated.

BY SIRI CARPENTER

Autism is usually thought to be a lifelong condition, but a small number of children lose the core symptoms and shed the diagnosis. Some researchers are beginning to explore how common this may be, and why some children outgrow autism.

The Department of Human Services, together with HP Australia and Specialist People Foundation have expanded their acclaimed Dandelion program to Brisbane, giving young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder access to a career in the IT sector.

Minister for Human Services Senator the Hon Marise Payne said 13 people have this week commenced a three year traineeship with the department where they will work as software test analysts.