How Lizard Can Help You Utilise NDIS Autism Funding

Lizard has been instrumental in assisting many families across the country with guidance to access NDIS Early Childhood Intervention funding.

What is NDIS Funding?

The NDIS provides support to Australians living with disabilities. Lizard is well-equipped to help families understand the NDIS and how NDIS funding for autism and developmental delays can support early intervention services.

NDIS funding helps young children that are living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related challenges connect with the right supports to pursue their goals, develop skills needed to increase their age-appropriate independence, assist with community participation, and develop the ability to actively take part in community activities.

How to become an NDIS Participant

To begin this process of securing NDIS funding support, you must first become an NDIS participant. If you visit the, Am I Eligible page, you will find an NDIS checklist you can read to see if you are eligible.

There are two pathways to access the NDIS depending on the age of the participant:

• If you or your child is over the age of 7, access the NDIS via the NDIS Pathway.
• If you meet the eligibility criteria and you would like to become a participant, you will need to first complete an Access Request.

• If your child is aged 0-6 years, they will access the NDIS via the Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) pathway.
• The NDIS has released a pack about ECEI with information you need to know about 0 to 6 years.
• If you are applying on behalf of a child under 7, your local Early Childhood Partner (ECP) is your first point of contact.
• An ECP will help you to request NDIS access if your child requires long-term intervention supports. The ECP will then work with you to develop your NDIS plan once you become a participant.

How Lizard Can Help You Utilise NDIS Autism Funding

Lizard is dedicated to assisting families in supporting the utilisation of their NDIS early childhood intervention funds and NDIS Therapy supports for school aged children. Lizard acknowledges Positive Behaviour Supports in delivering Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), an evidence-based, comprehensive intervention with proven positive outcomes for children living with autism. NDIS early childhood intervention programs are tailored to your child’s unique requirements, which promote development, well-being, and community participation.

Lizard can support you and your family to navigate using your NDIS autism and NDIS early childhood intervention funding in several ways:

• Conduct an initial developmental assessment or re-assessment to pinpoint your child’s strengths and skill deficits. Our assessments are developmentally sequenced, and norm referenced, so it is easy to see where your child has skill deficits relative to typically developing children of the same age.
• Summarise the results of the assessment into a developmental summary report for you to bring to your planning meeting.
• Meet with you to review the set goals for your child.
• Complete a Goals and Measurable Objectives document, in which we break down your long-term goals for your child into a set of measurable teaching objectives.
• Provide you with a document describing how Lizard services are delivered, which highlights our evidence based NDIS early childhood intervention strategies.
• Provide you with accompanying documents (relevant research and best practice recommendations) to support your request for funding for ABA therapy.
• Prepare and submit any required progress reports, to show the gains your child has made since commencing ABA therapy.

Your child’s access to NDIS funding will be assessed at each plan review. This is to check that the NDIS Early Childhood Intervention support services are effective and are resulting in positive progress for your child. If your child’s development has improved and they have achieved their goals, they may no longer need support from the NDIS. Different life stages demand distinct NDIS funding for autism supports, as such you may see changes in the funding that you receive from the NDIS for your child.