Paul Fletcher says guidelines developed in consultation with people living with autism, researchers and doctors

Melissa Davey

New national guidelines for diagnosing autism announced by the federal government on Tuesday will have no impact on those with autism previously deemed eligible for funding under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the minister for social services, Paul Fletcher, has said.

Rick Morton

Guidelines for autism cases will be streamlined nationwide and doctor-shopping for diagnoses will be eliminated, under a series of reforms aimed at stemming a blowout in the National Dis­ability Insurance Scheme.

The reforms, to be announced by the Morrison government today, have been heralded as a revolution in the way it would smooth out “significant variabilities” in cases confirmed by ­clinicians.

Media Release

The Autism Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) has published Australia's first National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism.



All Australians who require assessment for autism spectrum conditions are entitled to an early, affordable and comprehensive diagnostic process. The Guideline provides an opportunity to ensure a nationally consistent and equitable experience across the lifespan for families and individuals seeking a diagnosis.

Media Release

The Coalition Government has announced a new national standard for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), improving diagnostic consistency across Australia.



Minister for Families and Social Services, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, and Minister for Health, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, today welcomed the release of the national guideline, funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency.



About 164,000 Australians, including 136,000 children and young people under the age of 25, have ASD. That represents a 79 percent increase from 2009.

ASD is is still widely misunderstood, which means a lot of parents dread getting a diagnosis.

But, actually, parents say receiving a diagnosis can be a huge relief as the interventions now available can make a world of difference.

What are the signs of ASD and, once you get a diagnosis, what's next?

Dr Josephine Barbaro is a Senior Fellow at Latrobe University's Autism Research Centre and Richard Peake features in a new documentary Dad: A film about Autism and Fatherhood.

Karen R Fisher, UNSW; Erin Louise Whittle, UNSW, and Julian Norman Trollor, UNSW

ANNE Hegerty aka The Governess from The Chase has opened up about having Asperger’s syndrome.

The quiz show star, 60, was officially diagnosed in 2005, two years after first suspecting she might have the condition.

“I think that I saw a documentary on TV (about Asperger’s) and there was just something about it that rung bells in my brain,” Hegerty said on UK TV show Loose Women. “I remember in my diary writing, ‘I’m beginning to suspect again that I have Asperger’s syndrome.’”