• Daniel Burdon

More than 1000 Canberrans with a disability are at risk of missing out on National Disability Insurance Scheme support as the Territory and federal governments argue over which government should fund more places after a target of 5075 people was reached last month.

While the scheme was originally promised to be delivered to all Australians with a permanent and severe disability, it seems funding for places was capped at the 5075 "target" built into the original deal between the ACT and federal governments; a figure reached at the end of last month.

The review concluded:

To date, there is no evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves core symptoms and associated symptoms of ASD. It is important to note that adverse effects (minor-grade ear barotrauma events) can occur. Given the absence of evidence of effectiveness and the limited biological plausibility and possible adverse effects, the need for future RCTs of hyperbaric oxygen therapy must be carefully considered.

This really suggests that further research is likely to be too risky.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is being accused of blocking people from taking part in the program, despite it being uncapped.

The ACT Government said the Commonwealth agency rolling out the NDIS had told people in Canberra with disabilities it would not meet with them.

It was originally estimated 5,075 people in the territory would eventually be eligible for the scheme. That number has already been reached.

The National Disability Insurance Agency has reportedly stopped accepting new NDIS participants on to the Scheme in the Australian Capital Territory. The halt was shared on Facebook by ACT advocacy service ADACAS, which noted it had a number of people impacted by the stop work.

RICK MORTON, Social Affairs reporter

The $22 billion national disability insurance scheme has reached total capacity in the ACT less than half a year after full rollout in the region and new participants who are eligible for support are being turned away,

A man with severe disabilities who has been in state care since 1999, was ordered by Centrelink to prove his eligibility for a disability pension.

Andrew Johnson was diagnosed with profound autism when he was four and went into a Department of Human Services-managed group home when he was 13.

The 30-year-old cannot speak, has autism, Tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy, and needs a stomach tube to help him feed. 

Could Shakespeare help children with autism improve their social skills? A new study of a drama-based intervention suggests that this may well be the case.

Researchers from Ohio State University found that a novel method using Shakespeare's The Tempest – which combines recitation of The Bard's language with physical gestures – lead to improvements in communication skills and recognition of facial expressions, in young people with autism.

Kirsty Johnston

Children were repeatedly locked in a darkened, cell-like room at a primary school as punishment for bad behaviour.

Education officials launched an investigation at Miramar Central School in Wellington after a behaviour therapist found a 11-year-old disabled boy alone and distraught in the cupboard-sized room, with no way to get out.

• Melbourne woman confronted man on train for intimidating passengers
• The woman took a photo of the man she claimed was harassing women
• She claimed she stared the man down and posted the photo on Facebook
• But the man is reportedly autistic and simply loves to high-five strangers
• He reportedly received countless death threats and verbal assaults online