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Ex-Australian cop flees Bali amid claims he offered to cure autism but had no medical training

By bobb |

A former Queensland police officer has left Bali amid allegations he was offering to cure children of autism and other diseases despite having no medical training.

Christopher William Savage returned to Amamoor in the Sunshine Coast hinterland after Indonesian medical authorities began investigating his activities last week, News Corp Australia reports

NDIA announce first nationally-consistent approach to early childhood early-intervention

By bobb |

For the first time, a nationally-consistent approach to supporting children with developmental delay or disability will exist with the release today of the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Approach.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has worked with some of Australia’s leading early childhood intervention practitioners and researchers to design a best-practice approach that is family-centred and importantly, supports children to achieve good outcomes on a case-by-case basis.

NDIS to release six-page ‘approach’ to early autism intervention

By bobb |

The $22 billion national disability insurance scheme agency will release a scant six-page “approach” to early intervention, its long-awaited strategy to deal with ballooning numbers of children diagnosed with autism and potential cost over-runs.

The six-page document has been criticised by the sector as being “laughably deficient” and contains no detail at all about how children will be included in the scheme with the key initiative being to split more than half of the 106,000 children with a disability into “family” support which won’t cost the NDIS any money.

Autism experts at odds with NDIS plan

By bobb |

A panel of autism experts commissioned to advise the National Disability Insurance Agency on the condition has recommended children with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis receive at least 20 hours a week of early intervention, delivered either one-to-one or in a small group.

In a report to be released on Friday, the panel, which comprised a range of academics, teachers and advocates,  backed the best practice intervention for young children, which can cost up to $80,000 a year.

Qld kids with autism will stay in class

By bobb |

Qld kids with autism will stay in class

Queensland's education minister has ruled out separating children with autism from the rest of their class, despite teachers complaining they disrupt their peers' learning.

Kate Jones and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday opened the new $2 million Autism Hub and Reading Centre - an Australian first - in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Woolloongabba.

Ms Jones was asked whether the government would reconsider a policy to keep children with autism in the classroom, given the level of disruption teachers say they create.