Stephanie Convery

Committee hears every family Autism Partnerships Australia worked with who challenged their NDIS funding rejection was eventually approved for intensive support

The National Disability Insurance Agency is failing young children severely affected by autism by rejecting their claims for intensive support funding only to do an about-face after families have spent months in a lengthy, expensive tribunal process, a parliamentary committee has heard.

Lynda Fallon

As the cost of the NDIS balloons, and the government looks for ways to make savings, one battle-weary mum offers some budgeting suggestions.

Dear Mr Shorten, firstly, I want to say thank you for the NDIS. It’s a scheme with the very best of intentions to give people like my son, Ben, their best chance at fulfilling their potential — and I love that we are lucky enough to live in a country where people in power care.

Stephen Lunn, SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR, MELBOURNE

The need for a diagnosis of autism early in a child’s life to secure NDIS support may have “unforeseen consequences” as they face the long-term stigma of being labelled disabled, National Disability Insurance Agency chair Kurt Fearnley says.

Stephen Lunn

New data showing just over one in four US children on the autism spectrum have “profound autism” could help the National Disability Insurance Scheme as it looks to manage growing numbers of autistic kids needing support, a leading expert says.

Vladimir Hedrih

A study of autistic children and adolescents in Australia showed that those suffering from anxiety, depression or similar symptoms (apart from autism) showed a more pronounced tendency to try to mask their autistic traits in social situations. Adolescents were also more likely to camouflage their autistic traits than children. The study was published in Autism Research.

Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo

Autism is on the rise among young children.

Earlier this year, a new study in the journal Pediatrics looked at more than 4,000 8-year-olds in the New York and New Jersey areas and found that autism rates have tripled over the last 16 years.