Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia

Dear Minister and Assistant Minister

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, known as A4, recently received a very inadequate response (MC17-001434) to our emails to you dated 5/11/2017 and 11/12/2017. Our emails to you expressed extensive concerns about the NDIS and specifically its approach to early intervention for autistic children.

Ms Christine Faulkner, General Manager of the NDIS, says: “The Assistant Minister has asked me to reply to you on her behalf”.

The result must be so disheartening for you. Ms Faulkner’s response to us, on your behalf, is so disappointing for a collection of reasons.

A response (of sorts) to this letter can be seen at http://a4.org.au/node/1654 (it is also very disappointing).

LINA ZELDOVICH

Starting next year, clinicians worldwide may be using a new, streamlined set of criteria to diagnose autism.

Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing

The Andrews Labor Government will invest more than $22 million as an immediate response to the Inquiry into Services for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing Martin Foley today announced the funding would cover eight priority areas of action to be addressed as part of a comprehensive Autism Plan.

Dear The Hon Jane Prentice MP

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, known as A4, recently received a copy of a letter (MC17-001051, 16/11/2017) that you sent to Ms Prue Car MP. The Hon Ms Car MP passed the letter on to her constituents. Eventually, A4 received a copy.

Your letter said ...

A4 appreciates the report from the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the NDIS resulting from its Inquiry into Early Intervention. The report was released on 7/12/2017. Notable observations from the report include:

Emergency intervention to remove disabled man left in prison after NDIS providers refused to care for him

By Louise Milligan

VIDEO: Francis is in jail because no disability provider would care for him and he had nowhere else to go. (ABC News)

"Trying to contain a hurricane," is how Briana Blackett describes life as the sole parent of two boys with autism.

Key points:

• Complaints that the NDIS is not delivering the help needed by patients
• NDIS acknowledges teething problems and promises to 'significantly improve'
• Productivity Commission to hand down NDIS inquiry recommendations

"Max can just out of nowhere start screaming, like horror film screaming, pinching himself, biting himself, throwing himself on the ground," she said.

Warning: this is a very distressing story

Brigid Glanville

A mother whose autistic son was strapped to a restraining chair in class was asked if she would prefer a "more aesthetically pleasing chair" when she confronted the school about the seven-year-old's treatment.

The video for this story is at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-09/hundreds-of-complaints-of-abuse-o…

Key points:

• Almost 250 reported incidents of abuse or neglect of disabled students in government schools since 2015
• Complaints include children being strapped into restraining chairs
• Abuse includes physical abuse and neglect

Police have been filmed arresting a young boy while telling him to "shut up" in Victoria.

The video, which was uploaded to Facebook, appears to show at least three officers pinning the 12-year-old boy to the ground at Bendigo Railway Station on Friday.

With his face pressed against the concrete, the boy, who police believed at the time to have autism, is held down by the officers.

"He's got autism so he doesn't understand," one officer can be heard saying.

Pallavi Singhal

For nearly six months, Nicole Lim says her son Carlos Blanch, who has autism and is non-verbal, came home from school every week with cuts and bruises on his arms and legs.

The first time it happened, in March this year, Ms Lim went straight to the principal to ask for better supervision for Carlos, 11, who is in year 5.

"It was completely disregarded, nothing ever happened," Ms Lim said.