Coalition government’s ongoing war on autistic Australians

By convenor |

Dear Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds,

Subject: Government’s ongoing war on autistic Australian

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) deplores media reports (see Annex below) saying that “The Minister responsible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme has blamed an uptick of Australia’s aged, autistic and obese people for the ‘unsustainable’ rising costs of the service”. Your government’s war on autism is unacceptable. We complained about it before and were ignored. 

Aged autistic people are one of the smallest subgroups in the NDIS: there were just 125 of them in June 2021, just 0.8% of 14K+ NDIS participants in that age group. While their funding level is higher than average for the NDIS, we doubt the numbers in this very small group will increase significantly for some time. We have not found NDIA reporting on obesity; we doubt the NDIS even has reliable data on obesity of NDIS participants. 

Royal Commission welcomes new roadmap to improve the health of people with intellectual disability

By bobb |

The Disability Royal Commission welcomes the Australian Government’s release of a new national roadmap that aims to improve the health of people with intellectual disability (Roadmap).

The Royal Commission strongly supports any initiative that addresses the serious inequities people with cognitive disability face in the current health system, and that attempts to develop a system in which they have access to high quality, timely and comprehensive care.

FOI 20/21-0660 and FOI 20/21-0835 - NDIA keeps its records with Schrödinger's cat

By convenor |

The NDIA claims in its Participant Service Charter that it wants to be "transparent". However, it avoids making public communication and decisions about some key issues. For example, the following show that it does not want its records about commentary from a disability representative organisation (DRO) on advice it received from its IAC released.

Anxiety, not autism is holding many children back at school, researchers say

By bobb |

Sally Eeles

Queensland researchers say anxiety — not autism — is preventing many children on the spectrum from flourishing at school.

Key points:

  • Anxiety predicts quality of life more than a child's level of autism, researchers say
  • Researchers are hoping to reduce this anxiety by giving parents the skills to give to their children
  • Griffith University is seeking 30 families with an autistic child due to start prep in 2022 for the program

New national hotline to help Australians living with autism

By bobb |

Emily Cosenza

Australians with autism will have access to online, digital and phone-based support services that can offer specific advice through a new national hotline.

The federal government will announce the $8.4 million funding boost to the program, called Autism Connect, on Tuesday.

Following its success, it will now become a national service that will be run by peak autism body, Amaze.

Those needing information, advice or referrals will be able to call the hotline for free.

NDIA's secret report on PEDI-CAT (ASD) and NDIA misinformation

By convenor |

On the 12th October 2020, Mr Hoffman, the NDIA CEO, wrote a letter to NDIS participants, their families and carers. In his letter, he claimed that

The tools [for the NDIA's so-called Independent Assessment] have been ... used all over the world for many years.

A4 doubted this was true since no such tool existed for autistic people.

2021-22 Federal Budget - Initiatives for people with complex and enduring mental illness including autism

By bobb |
Commonwealth Government logo with words: Australian Government, National Mental Health Commission

update - final report is available - see below

More than 690,000 Australians live with complex and enduring mental illness such as psychotic illnesses, personality disorders, bipolar disorder or severe and persistent depression and anxiety. People living with complex and enduring mental illness can experience a range of poorer health and social outcomes which can be driven by stigma and discrimination from the broader community.

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