![](http://images.smh.com.au/2014/06/23/5537732/1403517263045.jpg-620x349.jpg)
Shortfall: For Monika Dobek and her daughter Olivia, the national disability scheme funds less than half the care needed. Photo: Ben Searcy
Families of children with autism say they have been short changed under the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with early intervention therapy provisions falling far below international best practice.
Participants in launch sites have been told they will received funding for less than six hours of therapy a week, less than a third of the recommended 20 hours.
Monika Dobek has been spending about $35,000 a year on 20 hours a week of evidence-based applied behaviour analysis therapy for her six-year-old daughter, Olivia, who was diagnosed with autism two years ago.
She was delighted when she was told Olivia would be eligible for funding under the NDIS in April but stunned to discover the money would only cover six hours of therapy a week.