Myles Houlbrook-Walk

Jonty Beard's Saturday morning ritual, honed after years of practice and discipline, sees him packing his umpiring bag, grabbing his whistle and steeling his mind.

The hard work has seen Jonty become the first person living with autism to officiate a premier league fixture in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), the Territory's highest level of Australian Rules football.

Catherine Fielke describes trying to get funding for her five-year-old son through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as "a constant battle".

Key points:

• Mitchell Fielke's new NDIS plan has a third of the funding of the previous plan
• NT disability service providers have flagged concerns over plans being cut "significantly" without consultation
• The NDIA says it is committed to delivering a "consistent and quality" experience for all participants

"It's honestly like a full-time job," she said.

Roxanne Fitzgerald

Katherine is set to become part of the first evidence-based early intervention program for young children with Autism. 

Darwin based company, Early Start Australia, announced last week it would roll out the the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for children with autism, as part of its overall service delivery.