FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1

ADHD OVERVIEW – ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORTS ………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

PACE CRM SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8

ADHD MEDIA SCAN ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 19

Page 1 of 23

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

TITLE: ADHD OVERVIEW – ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORTS

Strategic Narrative

• A person may satisfy the NDIS access requirements regardless of whether their impairment came about through birth, disease, injury or accident.
• To be eligible for NDIS funding, the disease or medical condition must cause permanent impairment (physical, intellectual, cognitive, neurological, visual, hearing or psychosocial), resulting in significant disability.
• All people with disability can access the NDIS if they meet the age, residency and disability or early intervention requirements as set out in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act).
• Generally, a person is eligible for the NDIS if their disability is, or is likely to be, permanent and significantly affects their communication, social interaction, learning, mobility, self-care or self-management.
• The NDIA publishes the lists of conditions that are likely to meet the disability access requirements under the NDIS Act. These can be found in the Our Guidelines section on the NDIS website.
• Most people with ADHD as their only impairment are not eligible for the NDIS, as treatments are available which have been evidenced to reduce the functional impairment attributable to ADHD.
• A person whose condition is not listed, such as a person with ADHD, can still be eligible for the NDIS if they meet the disability requirements set out in the NDIS Act.
• Every NDIS access request is considered on the basis of the individual’s level of functioning.

Page 2 of 23

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1

BACKGROUND

• ADHD would be considered permanent if there are no known evidence-based treatments likely to cure or substantially relieve the impairment. The NDIA requests the person’s treating professional to provide evidence, which indicates there are no further treatments which could effectively manage the person’s ADHD.
• The available research indicates there are current treatments which can reduce the functional impacts attributable to ADHD. The most used form of treatment for ADHD is stimulant medication, though there are also non-stimulants available. These are often used successfully in combination with other strategies to reduce the impact of the condition on a person’s daily life. Further, research also shows that ADHD can be managed using educational strategies, reasonable workplace adjustments and medical management. The assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of health conditions, along with medication is the responsibility of the health system to fund, rather than the NDIS.
• Mainstream supports are accessible from other government funded services, such as health, mental health and education. Community supports are available through community organisations, such as religious groups and supports from local councils.
• The NDIA’s Partners in The Community Program can connect people with the mainstream and community supports, as well as provide information about what supports are provided by state and territory governments.

Early Childhood Approach

• A child aged younger than 6, with a developmental delay, may be eligible for NDIS early intervention.
• To remain a NDIS participant after they turn 6, the child will need to have an impairment likely to be permanent, and meet either the [disability requirements](disability requirements) or the [early intervention requirements](early intervention requirements).
• A child younger than 6 who does not meet the definition of developmental delay but has developmental concerns can be supported through the early connections program. This program helps children and their families to link with mainstream and community support.
• A person with ADHD as their only impairment is not likely to be eligible for the NDIS as there are treatments available which have been evidenced to reduce the functional impairment attributable to ADHD.
• This means that a person with ADHD alone is not likely to meet the criteria for a permanent disability.

Page 3 of 23

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• Local Area Coordinators (LACs) can help connect people with disability aged 7 years and over with the mainstream and community supports available in their communities, as well as provide information about what supports are provided by state and territory governments.
• From 1 July 2023, the age of children supported under the early childhood approach will progressively change, to include children younger than 9. This change will occur over the next 2 years.

Access to the NDIS – Lists

• The NDIA has developed lists of conditions that are likely to meet certain criteria in the disability (section 24 of the NDIS Act) and early intervention (section 25 of the NDIS Act) requirements.
• These lists make it easier and simpler for applicants, and those that support them (including their treating professionals), to apply for the NDIS. They also streamline the access decision-making process.
• List A contains conditions that are likely to meet all criteria in the disability requirements. If a person provides evidence which shows they have been diagnosed with one or more conditions on List A, we’ll likely decide they meet the disability requirements.
• List B contains conditions that are likely to result in a permanent impairment. If a person provides evidence which shows they have been diagnosed with a condition on List B, we’ll likely decide their disability is from an impairment that’s likely to be permanent.
• List D contains conditions that meet all criteria in the early intervention requirements. If we have evidence a child younger than 7 has been diagnosed with a condition on List D, we’ll decide they meet the early intervention requirements.

Applying List A and List B

• When applying List A and List B, delegates are still required to consider all evidence provided and determine whether each criterion in the disability or early intervention requirements are met.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder appears on both List A and List B.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• To apply List A, the evidence must show that autism was diagnosed by a specialist multi-disciplinary team, paediatrician, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist experienced in the assessment of Pervasive Developmental Disorders and assessed using the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) diagnostic criteria as having severity of Level 2 (Requiring substantial support) or Level 3 (Requiring very substantial support).
• List B is applied where the evidence shows that autism was diagnosed by an appropriately qualified treating professional, but does not meet the evidentiary or severity requirements of List A.

ADHD

• Aside from conditions on List D, there are no blanket rules regarding what conditions do or do not meet the access requirements. Access decisions are not based on the diagnosis of a particular condition; rather, delegates are required to assess the evidence in each application on its merits against the applicable legislation.
• To meet the access requirements, the evidence must demonstrate that there are no known, available and appropriate evidence-based treatments that would be likely to remedy (i.e. cure or relieve) the impairment; and that the impairment does not require further medical treatment or review in order for its likely permanency to be demonstrated.
• It is important to note that delegates do not assess the permanency of a condition, but the associated and resulting loss of, or damage to, function.
• While ADHD is usually considered to be a lifelong condition, there are many treatments available to substantially relieve its impacts, including medications, behaviour therapies, and counselling. Research-based technical advice also indicates that brain development continues until the age of 25, which can make it challenging to determine if the impacts of ADHD in children are likely to be lifelong. Until such a time as appropriate treatments have been explored (and their outcomes are known), the access requirements cannot be considered met.

Supports for participants with ADHD

• NDIA Staff create a participant’s NDIS plan based on individual goals, disability support needs and the supports that will help pursue their goals.
• A person’s support needs for social and economic participation will vary depending on their strengths and level of function.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• Funding for capacity building may support participants to improve their planning, organisation and independent living skills. Allied health providers such as an occupational therapist can help arrange adjustments to the physical environment for school, work or social activities.
• All supports we fund must meet the NDIS funding criteria.

KEY DATA/FIGURES

Assessment of NDIS access for applicants with ADHD as at 31 March 2023

	Number of access decisions	Number of access met	% eligible
All ADHD	8,442	5,167	61%
ADHD Primary	2,678	290	11%
ADHD Non-Primary	5,764	4,877	85%
All Scheme	762,490	651,104	85%

Number of active participants with ADHD by gender as at 31 March 2023

	Male	Female	Unknown	Total
All ADHD	3,300	1,488	76	4,864
ADHD Primary	146	42	0	188
ADHD Non-Primary	3,154	1,446	76	4,676
All Scheme	363,599	221,062	7,398	592,059

Annualised committed supports for active participants with ADHD as at 31 March 2023

	Total annualised committed supports (in $m)	Number of participants	Average annualised committed supports (in $)
All ADHD	331	4,864	68,021
ADHD Primary	7	188	35,532
ADHD Non-Primary	324	4,676	69,327
All Scheme	44,062	592,059	74,421

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Number and proportion of active participants with ADHD who have submitted AAT request

	AAT	Total number of participants	%
All ADHD	127	4,864	2.61%
ADHD Primary	5	188	2.66%
ADHD Non-Primary	122	4,676	2.61%
All Scheme	11,936	592,059	2.02%

Number and proportion of active participants with ADHD who have submitted RoRD request

	RoRD	Total number of participants	%
All ADHD	1,106	4,864	22.7%
ADHD Primary	61	188	32.4%
ADHD Non-Primary	1,045	4,676	22.3%
All Scheme	101,329	592,059	17.1%

Total annualised committed supports by support category for participants with primary disability of ADHD and non-primary disability of ADHD – see excel attachment

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

TITLE: PACE CRM SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

Strategic Narrative

• PACE is the platform to replace the System Applications and Products (SAP) Customer Relationship management (CRM) software to enable the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to evolve and deliver on the original intent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
• Like SAP-CRM, within the PACE system Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is captured as part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder and, where applicable, is captured as a diagnosis through the Functional Assessment Case. There are personal and environmental circumstances in PACE that ask how a person’s disability impacts on their daily life to inform decision making.
• PACE provides clear service guidance in the system where and when our staff need them.
• SAP CRM is reaching end-of-life and it is appropriate the NDIA commission the replacement CRM to support its work with NDIS participants.
• PACE is highly configurable and has the flexibility to be updated as NDIS policy and legislation changes. The current configuration of PACE reflects current policy and legislation, and generally the settings are like-for-like with SAP-CRM.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• PACE is the foundational capability to enable the NDIA to deliver outcomes from the Australian Government’s budget investment, as well as the outcomes of the Independent Review of the NDIS, the Disability Royal Commission into Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and current and future co-design projects.
• Feedback from staff, partners and providers has helped the NDIA to identify the improvements needed during the Tasmania test, and stakeholders’ feedback will continue to inform further enhancements and new features to PACE.

KEY HEADLINE FACTS AND FIGURES

• In November 2022, the testing of PACE commenced in Tasmania, providing a real-time, real-world test environment.
• As at 16 June 2023, the following NDIS participant plans, cases and payments have been made on PACE as part of the Tasmania Test:
  • Participants with approved plans in PACE – 3,059
  • New participants in PACE – 580
  • PACE plans with >=1 payment – 2,533
  • Number of payments in PACE – 112,090
  • Payments in PACE – $44,124,061
• The aim is to work towards being ready to use PACE, across Australia by the end of September 2023. The decision on whether we are ready will be made mid-year.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

PACE - New computer system

• PACE is the NDIA’s new computer system which holds NDIS participant information, enquiries, plans and budgets.
• PACE also connects to the NDIS participant and provider portal and will be used to make payments from NDIS participant plans and allows improved capability for NDIS participants to manage their own information.
• It is the system NDIA planners; NDIS partners and the National Contact Centre will use every day when they speak to NDIS participants and providers.
• The initial configuration in PACE largely reflects the NDIA’s current access and planning approaches. That is, there is no change to how NDIA makes decisions about NDIS eligibility or how it makes reasonable and necessary decisions about NDIS participants’ plans.
• There have been some process improvements, including supporting an NDIS participant to meet the delegate approving their plan, earlier connections to mainstream and community supports, supported processes when applying to the NDIS, and formalising NDIS participant check-ins.
• PACE offers improvements in how NDIA makes guidance available to its staff in the system with more resources such as conversation guides and scripts to make sure staff are prompted to have the right conversations at the right time. This capability will support improved consistency in decision making and reduce the change impact for NDIA staff when implementing any future changes to policy or legislation.
• Over 4,000 NDIS participants and over 800 NDIA staff and NDIS partners helped with the design of PACE.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Tasmania Test

• In November 2022, testing of PACE commenced in Tasmania. The production test including access and planning activities for participants approaching the NDIS for the first time, and for existing NDIS participants who were having their plan reassessed.
• The Tasmania Test has captured feedback from Tasmanian NDIS participants, providers, and disability community.
• This feedback has helped the NDIA learn how PACE, practice and process improvements work in different situations.
• As at 18 May 2023, 2,492 NDIS participants have had a NDIS plan approved in PACE.

Tasmania Test Evaluation Insights

• NDIA heard from more than 1,000 people involved in the Tasmania test between November 2022 and March 2023.
• A summary of insights from the evaluation has been released, as well as a plain English and easy read version of what NDIA learnt in the test.
• Key insights from the test include:
  • many participants said they had a positive experience in the Tasmania test, or an experience which was better than last time they worked with the NDIS.
  • participants liked working with NDIS partners to understand the community and mainstream services available to them. They also liked meeting the NDIA planner who approves their plan.
  • PACE operates faster than anticipated, however: ▪ there is low confidence of all stakeholders operating in the new platform and processes. This is resulting in inefficiencies and mixed stakeholder experiences.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• ▪ NDIA need to support all stakeholders transition to PACE and improved practices and processes. This includes specific training resources for NDIS participants and providers, and more time for NDIA staff and NDIS partners to learn before using PACE in a live environment.
• ▪ more consultation with NDIS providers will help improve how PACE integrates with provider operating systems, to make sure the NDIS participant experience is not impacted by the transition.
  • Feedback loops throughout the Tasmanian Test were essential to ensure insights from NDIA staff, NDIS partners, NDIS participants and NDIS providers can help the Agency identify the improvements needed. The NDIA will continue working with stakeholders to prioritise further enhancements and introduce new features to PACE.
  • The evaluation of the Tasmania test indicated NDIA staff, NDIS partners, NDIS participants and NDIS providers needed to be better prepared before national expansion of PACE. This resulted in a comprehensive change program working with NDIS participants, NDIS providers and NDIA staff to ensure they are ready for National Expansion.

Preparing for National Expansion

• The NDIA is continuing to work closely with the disability community and provider groups to respond to the concerns raised from the Tasmanian Test and to prioritise the things which need to improve.
• A detailed program of work has been developed in response to the evaluation feedback to ensure PACE and stakeholders are ready for National Expansion.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• Working groups have been established with NDIS participants and NDIS providers to ensure change is being communicated in meaningful ways, with introductory sessions for NDIS providers already underway.
• A series of change campaigns are being developed for NDIA staff, NDIS providers and NDIS participants contributing to the overall readiness of these groups for PACE.
• The aim is to work towards being ready to use PACE, across Australia by the end of September 2023.
• The decision on whether NDIA is ready for National Expansion will be made mid-2023. NDIA will only start using the system when:
  • it has confirmed it is working as it should.
  • everyone knows what they need to do to.
  • NDIA has back-up plans if anything doesn’t work.

Payment Delays

• In January 2023, NDIA heard from some Tasmanian providers they were not receiving payments for their claims as timely as expected.
  • NDIA identified some integration issues between PACE and NDIA’s payments system which meant they were not always working together the way they should.
  • NDIA worked with Services Australia to fix most of these issues in February and March 2023.
  • NDIA learnt from providers it needed to offer more information and support to them on the claim validation process for Agency-managed participants.
  • NDIA published additional resources on the NDIS website for providers in Tasmania and further guidance for NDIA staff and NDIS partners.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• As at 18 May 2023, there were 18 payments which had been outstanding for more than 7 days (0.1% of payments received over the fortnight).
  • Outstanding payments are being manually reviewed by NDIA staff and processed.
  • A final system fix in mid-July 2023 is expected to resolve the outstanding issues.

Provider Feedback

• NDIS providers told NDIA they weren’t sure when NDIS participants had moved to PACE which meant some confusion and delays to delivering NDIS supports and receiving payments.
  • NDIS providers would like advance notice of when the NDIS participants they work with move to PACE to reduce any NDIS support or payment delays.
  • NDIS providers also think more support from the NDIA to help prepare their business to move to the new provider portal and processes, like requests for service and participant-endorsed providers, would be helpful.
  • NDIS providers advised because PACE processes payments in a different manner to the SAP CRM system, this affects their reconciliation processes.
• NDIA has been working with provider peak bodies to assist them to help their members to update their practices in readiness for PACE. In addition, there have been over 40 direct working groups run with NDIA teams and providers both in Tasmania and nationally.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• NDIA has prioritised PACE enhancements which reduce the impact of change for NDIS providers, including improvements to the notifications providers receive and the ability for providers to inform NDIA of changes to their relationship with NDIS participants via the portal.
• Information sessions have commenced with providers to build national awareness of PACE and its impact on providers.
• A series of change campaigns are in the process of being developed to support providers to understand the business and technical changes they may need to make to adjust to PACE. The requirements of these are being defined by provider working groups.

Additional Background

Why a new CRM?

• Since 2016, the NDIA has been using the SAP CRM platform delivered by Services Australia to manage access, planning and payment claims.
• The SAP CRM system is approaching the end of its life. It has a slow response time which impacts NDIA staff and NDIS partners nationally.
• The NDIA has had to adjust business processes to fit SAP CRM. This has resulted in a lack of scalability and personalisation of interactions, duplication of information gathering and multiple work handover points.
• The complexity of enhancing SAP CRM, coupled with Services Australia being a shared service with multiple Agencies, has resulted in lengthy lead times for the delivery of even minor enhancements.
• SAP CRM is at its end-of-life. This means performance is heavily degraded with frontline staff often waiting minutes for the system to respond or for documents to load. It can currently take many hours to approve a NDIS participant plan which has been built, due to performance lag.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

What is the Participants, Platforms and Processes initiative?

• The Participants, Platforms and Processes initiative (3P) is NDIA’s current policy input into PACE. It is based on NDIA’s public operational guidelines and the policy features which are being tested in Tasmania.
• 3P is a nationally consistent way of using NDIA’s CRM for core business activities, such as enquiries, connecting to community and mainstream (Tier 2) services, access, planning, reassessments, requests for advice and reviews.

Working together with participants and providers

• In early 2022, NDIA engaged the Participant Reference Group and Participant First to test components of 3P initiative, including initial designs, digital products, communications and engagement. Over 4,000 participants were involved.
• From mid-2022, intensive engagement commenced with the wider disability community. These groups have provided feedback which resulted in key changes to NDIA’s approach.
• In September 2023, 6 focus groups were held with NDIS participants through Participant First.
• Close to 100 NDIS providers were involved in the design of PACE through national working groups
• The design sessions were then followed up with specific Tasmanian working groups which met fortnightly, moving to monthly in March 2023.
• Additional deep dives are occurring with key provider stakeholder groups such a plan managers based on their experience of the test in Tasmania.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Working together with staff

• NDIA staff have been involved in the design and build of PACE from the beginning.
• Starting in 2022, NDIA staff and National Contact Centre staff completed user acceptance testing of PACE using real-life scenarios and providing feedback.
• User acceptance testing included working through PACE process and features, accessibility and quality assurance to make sure the platform was accessible and testing if the training was suitable for staff. The user acceptance testing group may also help with the training scoping and rollout.
• A formal staff consultation period was held in in accordance with section 2.1 of the NDIA Enterprise Agreement 2020-2023, and related to the milestone of real-time testing of PACE in Tasmania
• The formal staff consultation period was for national NDIA Australian Public Service employees, with many labour hire employees also choosing to be involved. The formal staff consultation period did not involve NDIS Partners in the Community.
• The Agency-wide formal consultation began on Monday, 5 September 2022 and closed on Monday, 26 September 2022.
• NDIA continues to meet monthly with the Community and Public Sector Union.

Working together with partners

• Since early 2022, NDIA has been engaging with NDIS Partner Executive on the changes it wants to make and the realignment of roles back to the original intent of the NDIS.
• In April 2022, NDIA shared the proposed approach for engaging with partner organisations based on an indicative schedule. NDIA also shared the learning and development deployment plan.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

• NDIA now wants to work collaboratively with its Partners on the key activities it needs to undertake to help them prepare and work towards the National Expansion of PACE, this includes continuing to work closely with Mission Australian and Baptcare in Tasmania.

Recent media coverage

Date	Source	Item
29 January 2023	Letter to the Editor (Christine Orgias) in the Launceston Examiner	Payment delays for providers and participant impact of this and the test

• On 29 January 2023, Ms Christine Orgias wrote a Letter to the Editor in the Launceston Examiner regarding payment delays and risks to continuity of service for her son.

redacted: s47F - personal privacy

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

TITLE: ADHD MEDIA SCAN

Strategic Narrative

This brief comprises key coverage since 1 January 2023.

Key media issues regarding ADHD focussed on:

• Eligibility for people with ADHD as a primary diagnosis. This includes calls from Senator Jordan Steele-John to include ADHD as an eligible primary disability.
• NDIS supports and difficulty engaging with the NDIA for participants with Autism/ADHD.
• Previous hearings of the Senate Inquiry into support services for people with ADHD.

Media lines:

• The National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) priority remains ensuring participants and their families receive the disability-related supports they need.
• To meet access for the NDIS, a person must meet all eligibility criteria and provide evidence of a disability which is permanent, or likely to be permanent, which results in a significantly reduced functional capacity.
• Access to the NDIS is based on a person’s functional impairment – not on their condition or diagnosis. This means no condition is, or will be, automatically excluded from the NDIS.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Background (to inform reporting, not for attribution)

• As at 31 March 2023, there are 4,864 participants with ADHD and 188 of those ADHD listed as their primary disability.
• The NDIS was designed to complement, not replace, mainstream services such as the health system, which is generally responsible for services such as diagnosis, treatment and medications.
• For those not eligible for the NDIS, the NDIA helps those with disability connect with an early childhood partner or local area coordinator who can help access to other services such as medical, mental health, disability, or community supports in the relevant state or territory.

Eligibility

Date	Title
20/06/23	ABC News
	Bill Shorten labels the last week of parliament ‘toxic’ as NDIS rorts take centre stage on Q+A - ABC News
	Audience member Cheryl Slade said she was struggling with two children at home who had disabilities and that she and her husband had both recently been diagnosed as having ADHD and Autism. Cheryl said the NDIS told them “We were not disabled enough”.
18/06/23	Sky News/Courier Mail
	[New research finds decline in efficiency with the misuse of ADHD medication
	Interview with People with Disability Australia’s Vice President Sam Connor. Mentions Senate Enquiry and access to the NDIS for people with ADHD.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Date	Title
10/06/23	The Australian
	NDIS review flags a ‘big shift’ in eligibility
	Mentions the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, in its submission to the NDIS Review raised the need to consider adding people to the Scheme who were not currently eligible, specifically those with an ADHD diagnosis.
29/04/23	AFR Weekend
	Are we overtreating children with ADHD?
	New guidelines out this week have some experts worried about diagnosis criteria and the prospect of inclusion in the NDIS. Discusses the push to have ADHD as a primary diagnosis supported the cash strapped NDIS.
17/04/23	Kidspot
	Parents waiting as long as two years for Autism and ADHD diagnosis
30/03/23	The Australian
	ADHD must be eligible for NDIS funding
	Calls from Senator Jordan Steele-John for people with ADHD to be eligible for the NDIS, saying “It’s absolutely ridiculous, given the impact ADHD can have on your life, that isn’t considered a condition that can give you access to the NDIS.”
25/02/23	Weekend Australian
	NDIS rules fuel rise in autism kids
	> To be eligible for the NDIS, they need to demonstrate their child has a ‘severe and permanent’ disability. Parents often wonder if a child with learning difficulties or ADHD will qualify for NDIS supports: they don’t.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Date	Title (include hyperlink)
11/02/23	The Saturday Paper
	The NDIS should cover ADHD
	Senator Jordan Steele-John writes this article, noting his views that the NDIS eligibility criteria should be expanded to include ADHD as a primary disability and ADHD diagnosis and subsequent care should be free under Medicare.

NDIS supports

Date	Title (include hyperlink)
10/06/23	Geelong Advertiser
	Mum lashes NDIS hurdles
	Geelong mum Jessica Harriot says it is a full-time job handling the NDIS for herself and her son. Both Jessica and William have autism and Will also has ADHD.
09/05/23	ABC Online
	Families with ADHD and autism await budget - ABC Radio National
	Interview Anna Oxley Rintoul and Professor Andrew Whitehouse. Anna is a mother of three neurodiverse children and details her experience with that and the NDIS. Mentions NDIS Minister Bill Shorten spoke about children getting badged as autistic in order to get services.
18/04/23	AFR
	NDIS reboot: Parents reveal that rising therapy costs mean the scheme is essential
	Leah Heele, who has a 9-year-old daughter with autism and ADHD, said it wasn’t easy to get her NDIS supports. Includes quotes from Minister Shorten’s address to the National Press Club.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1 ADHD Inquiry – Briefing Pack

Date	Title (include hyperlink)
10/04/23	ABC News
	Parents turn to equine therapy for children with autism, ADHD as disability services wait times blow out

Senate Inquiry

Date	Title (include hyperlink)
12/04/23	NewsGP
	RACGP - Senate probe into ADHD under way
	The inquiry is considering diagnosis and support for people with ADHD, with most GP’s reporting a large increase in referral requests.
08/04/23	Courier Mail
	Surge in adult ADHD cases
	Demand for adult ADHD support services has skyrocketed in Queensland. Mentions Senate Inquiry.
08/04/23	Daily Telegraph
	[Surge in demand for adult ADHD services in Queensland
	Once considered a disorder reserved for rowdy boys, adult ADHD sufferers are crying out for help. Now a Senate Inquiry is investigating the need for better services.

FOI 22/23-1739 DOCUMENT 1

The content of this document is OFFICIAL SENSITIVE – NOT FOR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION.

Table 1 - Total annualised committed supports by support category for participants with primary disability of ADHD and non-primary disability of ADHD

(Table data reproduced from document)