A business which promotes ­a widely discredited sound-­stimulation service that plays ­Mozart and Gregorian chants for autistic children, and a woman who reads palms and tarot cards at Hobart’s Salamanca markets, are among providers registered for the National Disability ­Insurance Scheme.

By Adam Cooper

Ryan was destined for a life of disadvantage. Mum's drinking while pregnant caused fetal alcohol syndrome, and he was born with an intellectual disability into a dysfunctional family in a rural town.

Well behind from the first seconds of life, Ryan was exposed to physical and possibly sexual abuse as a child, was in state care from 11 and using alcohol and drugs in his teens. Now 21, he has been diagnosed with ADHD and has the literacy skills of a prep.

Madeleine Ryan

Expressing our emotional needs can be a tricky business. I’m autistic, and I know that it can take a lot of work. And, as Brisbane mother and full-time carer Magenta Quinn learned late last month, a neighbour demanding peace and quiet can be harder to help than a child on the autism spectrum.

Ms Quinn’s neighbour, who "wished to remain anonymous to avoid any conflict", threatened to call the council if something wasn't done about her autistic son, who hums, moans and yelps to soothe himself.

Lynn Adams

My 10-year-old son can change from an adorable, quirky little dude to an aggressive screamer in a second. He sinks so far, so fast, that I forget about his strengths and drown in his weaknesses. I wish I could make it stop.

There’s a diagnosis that explains it: autism.

Campbell Gellie campbell.gellie@dailymercury.com.au

THEY’RE almost like ticking time bombs, and several Mackay mums admit they are at the end of their tether when it comes to knowing how to handle their violent autistic sons.

The Daily Mercury has spoken to three mothers who feel helpless at the hands of their sons, who are continuously being suspended from school for their bad behaviour.

HELEN SPELITIS helen.spelitis@qt.com.au

Rollout nightmare as struggling mum locked in to wrong plan

HEAR ME: Yamanto mum Rhonda Utz with her kids Hayden and Shyanne. The family has benefited from the NDIS but also faced challenges in the planning process.

MUM Rhonda Utz struggles with everyday tasks like doing the groceries.

The Yamanto mum is completely blind in one eye and has two high-needs adult children.

Jasmin Lill

A BRISBANE mum says she was shocked to receive an anonymous letter from a neighbour complaining about noises coming from her autistic son.

Magenta Quinn found the letter at her Mount Ommaney home on Monday.

“When you moved in we heard these strange moaning and shouting coming from your garden every day and night, for which we were concerned may be illegal activities, so we contacted the police who in turn have visited your premises,” the letter said.

Sian Johnson

Just months out of high school, former Brauer College student Bryce Pace is taking steps to change the world for the better.

Darren Cartwright

THE $22 billion-a-year National Disability Insurance Scheme is under fire for giving approval to a US program to treat autism that has not undergone scientific trials.

The program, called Neuro-Fit Systems, has been embraced by parents, but AMA Queensland has questioned its approval by the NDIS.

Daile Cross

An alarming world-first study into the cognitive abilities of young people in detention in Australia has found evidence of severe neurodevelopmental impairment in almost every child assessed.

Researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute assessed 99 children aged 10 to 17 incarcerated at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Western Australia. The findings uncovered an unprecedented prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and severe neurodevelopmental impairment.