Jan 15, 2025

Australia’s National Autism Strategy: What It Means for the NDIS and Beyond

Australia’s National Autism Strategy: What It Means for the NDIS and Beyond
Autistic Australians without NDIS funding often fall through the cracks. [iStock].

The federal government released Australia’s first National Autism Strategy, with A$42 million of funding for the first stage of the strategy.

Many autistic Australians and their families struggle to get the right supports so they can do the things many people take for granted, such as going to a dance class or joining a footy club, going to school or work, and maintaining their physical and mental health.

People with autism have a life expectancy 20 to 36 years shorter than the rest of the population. Workforce participation among autistic adults is low, at around 38%.

People with autism want to live in a country that doesn’t just talk about inclusion, but delivers this through policy and reducing stigma. The seven-year autism strategy is an important step forward to achieving this aim.

But it’s unclear if the strategy will deliver for children and their families who are not eligible for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding and support. We need to ensure they don’t fall through the gaps.

What’s in the strategy?

The strategy sets out 22 recommendations across four key areas:

1. social inclusion: ensuring autistic people are valued and included in society, with initiatives such as peer-support programs and public awareness campaigns. Almost $20 million has been earmarked to fund peer-support programs designed to provide age-appropriate and culturally sensitive assistance, while $915,000 has been set aside over two years for community awareness and education initiatives to reduce stigma and foster inclusion.

2. economic inclusion: improving employment opportunities and workplace support, particularly for autistic adults. This includes increasing employment opportunities and supporting employers to hire and retain autistic employees.

Woman works while wearing headphones
The strategy aims to boost employment.
fizkes/Shutterstock

3. diagnosis, services and supports: enhancing timely and accessible diagnostic pathways and neurodiversity-affirming services. The funding commitment includes $445,000 in 2025–26 for new resources supporting pre- and post-diagnosis stages.

4. health and mental health: addressing systemic gaps in health outcomes through a forthcoming roadmap focused on mental and physical wellbeing.

Ensuring children without NDIS support don’t fall through the gaps

At the time of diagnosis, children with autism are categorised at as either level one (requiring support), two (requiring substantial support) or three (requiring very substantial support).

Children classified as level one may have difficulty with social communication, the “to and fro” of conversation and making friends. These children face real and unique challenges as they operate in mainstream schools and communities with a silent disability that may go unrecognised by their peers.

But many children with level one autism will not receive individual NDIS support packages.

The NDIS review plans to fill this gap through “foundational supports”. The goal of foundational supports is to build individual, family and community capacity to reduce the barriers to participation in schools and communities.

But we are yet to see the full menu of opportunities that will be available from the NDIS foundational supports.

The hope is that the autism strategy and NDIS foundational supports will be complementary and also linked to broader clinical, hospital and school programs.

Investing in evidence

Today’s announcement also includes funding for research and translation, including:

  • $12.2 million to establish a body that will translate autism-related research into practical tools and guidance
  • $3.7 million to evaluate existing programs aimed at improving the lives of autistic Australians
  • $2.8 million for an epidemiological study to assess the true prevalence of autism in Australia.

These funding commitments show we’re learning from the mistakes seen with the initial rollout of the NDIS. This failed to ensure the interventions and supports made available were evidence-based or at least underpinned by clinical expertise and endorsed by a co-design process with the autistic community.

The research evidence vacuum was quickly filled by a plethora of unverified programs or practices that emerged with a big price tag and no evidence.

Big challenges can only be solved with big research data. So it’s encouraging to see research evidence and data collection underpinning this strategy.

What needs to happen next?

The strategy is a significant step forward, offering hope and optimism. However, effective implementation will require:

  • coordination across reforms. This will mean the strategy is integrated with state policies and funding and federal NDIS, disability and autism reforms. Coordinated implementation with the NDIS review’s foundational support recommendations is particularly important
  • unified practices. Drawing on existing innovation and best practice from the autistic community, research, and clinical work to expand and scale effective programs and supports
  • addressing the health and mental health of autistic Australians. The forthcoming health and mental health strategy must urgently address the needs of children and adults with complex and intersecting challenges. There is an urgent need for integrated and accessible support
  • tailored support. Peer support and inclusion programs must provide tailored support for autistic children to help support their successful participation in social and recreational activities, and to help the community better understand and support autistic children and families.

This strategy has the potential to position the nation as a global leader in autism support. But success will depend on maintaining a clear focus on implementation, equity and inclusion. With the right actions, this can be the transformative framework to improve the lives of autistic people and their families and carers.The Conversation

Nicole Rinehart, Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Clinical Psychology, Director of the Neurodevelopment Program, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University and David Moseley, Associate Professor, Clinical Psychology, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Young, sick and elderly given priority to flu vaccine as shortage strikes

The Victorian state government says only the elderly, the ill, and children will be able to receive the flu vaccination, amid a shortage of vaccine doses following unprecedented demand. “Until we can get the assurance form the Commonwealth Government there’s flu vaccine available for all… we’re rationing our flu vaccines for the most vulnerable groups,”... Read More

Men moved from prison to suburban Sydney nursing home

Two former prison inmates have been moved to a Sydney nursing home. The men, who are both living with advanced dementia, have been at the Garrawarra Centre in Sydney’s Waterfall “for some time without any serious incident”, according to a spokesperson for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. The patients are “low risk, particularly in light of their... Read More

NSW Government’s “crackdown” on retirement villages

Increased accountability for operators, improved transparency of exit fees, and improved dispute resolution processes will all be part of the NSW Government’s “crackdown” on the retirement village sector. The NSW government has announced that it will accept most of the recommendations made in Kathryn Greiner’s review of the retirement village sector, which she delivered to the government in... Read More
Advertisement