Matthew Doran

Families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are worried their kids will be missing out on vital water safety skills, with the National Disability Insurance Scheme refusing to fund one-on-one swimming lessons.

Stephanie Dalzell

Half of Australian kids with mental illness aren't getting timely professional help and less than a third of parents used services to help their struggling child, according to official government figures.

The figures are startling, especially given half of all adults with mental illness begin experiencing symptoms at a young age.

A new government strategy aims to address that, to fix a system bogged down by lengthy wait lists, and high out-of-pocket costs.

The report at https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/programs/worldtoday/debate-over-controversial-treatment-for-autism/13532176 is one-sided. It fails to speak to qualified or registered clinicians in Applied Behaviour Analysis. It is well known that any early intervention approach for autism does not suit all autistic children, but getting views from clinicians on one side of the debate is biased. 

The Victorian government says it has been forced to step in and fund targeted hubs after failing to get a response from the Commonwealth on low vaccination rates among people with a disability.

Key points:

• More than 71 per cent of Victorian NDIS participants aged 16 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
• Victoria is launching 10 dedicated pop-up vaccination sites for people with disability
• From October 8, all of Victoria's state-run vaccination centres will allow people with disabilities to get vaccinated any time without a booking

The Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Luke Donnellan, on Thursday announced $5 million to boost vaccination rates among people living with a disability.

Nick McAllister

When COVID-19 came uninvited to Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other state leaders stood behind their lecterns and delivered their messages to all Australians.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of a struggle with mental health.

But it felt to me they weren't speaking to us all. 

I'm not Sheldon Cooper.

I am, however, autistic, which means I'm constantly compared to him.

This is ironic because according to the producers of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper isn't actually autistic.

And yet my autism is constantly compared – and seemingly failing to live up – to this fictional character.

By Eden Gillespie

A mother of five autistic children from regional NSW told The Feed she’s struggled immensely with getting them vaccinated. With the children still unvaccinated, and a severe asthmatic herself, she’s fearful about the state’s plans to open up in October.

NSW’s reopening has been described as the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ but as severe asthmatics and the parents of five children with autism, Casey* and her husband are terrified of where the eased restrictions could leave them.