National Disability Insurance Agency Establishes Autism Advisory Group

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for implementing the NDIS. The agency will better support people with autism as a result of the recent establishment of the Autism Advisory Group. The group will also provide fact-based advice and feedback to the NDIA. It reflects the National Disability Insurance Agency’s commitment to working with key stakeholders as well as experts who support people with autism.

The Autism Advisory Group will discuss several issues;

• The increased prevalence of autism within the Australian population, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics

• The development of NDIA-funded best practice diagnostic guidelines. Autism CRC and the National Health and Medical Research Council will undertake and review the guidelines, respectively;

• The relevance of the new PEDI-CAT (ASD) as a functional assessment tool in Australia;

• The NDIA’s proposal for an independent third party to pilot which functional assessment tools are most appropriate in making eligibility assessments for the NDIS;

• Whether functional assessment tools can assist in defining the necessary support for participants;

• The best approach to delivering autism services for eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants and children who receive ECEI services within the context of broader mainstream autism services.

The Autism Advisory Group will include:

• The Co-operative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC)

• Amaze

• Autistic Self-Advocacy Network – Australia and New Zealand (ASAN)

• Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorder (AABASD)

• Australian Autism Alliance

Furthermore, the Ministers for the Department of Social Services Website states “The NDIA is committed to ensuring the NDIS is equitable, outcomes focused and, in the interests of all participants, financially sustainable.”