ASD and ADHD children's access to allied health expertise and holistic assessment (Participant experience)

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National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1328

To whom it may concern,

My name is and I am a resident of , NSW. I am writing to you today as the parent of two children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD, who are both current participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

While I recognize the government’s desire for a sustainable NDIS, I hold grave concerns regarding the proposed legislative and operational changes to the Scheme. If implemented in their current form, these reforms will strip away critical supports, jeopardize my children’s future independence, and push families like mine into absolute crisis.

I urgently request that you raise the following issues in Parliament on behalf of your constituents:

  1. The Devaluation of Allied Health Expertise and Holistic Assessment I am deeply concerned that my children’s complex, contextual needs will no longer be accurately captured. The proposed changes heavily rely on a matrix hierarchy that prioritizes generalized “evidence-based research” over the proven, individual efficacy of current therapies. Many incredible clinicians do not have the funding or time to research and write academic papers on highly individualized therapies, yet their practical work is exactly what enables my children to function. Allowing planners—who often lack specific allied health training and clinical expertise—to dictate funding based on rigid matrices rather than a holistic, individualized clinical assessment removes our choice and control. It places cost- cutting above participant outcomes.

  2. The Misinterpretation of “Ordinary Parental Responsibility” The expectation that parents should simply absorb more disability support needs under the guise of “parental responsibility” ignores reality. Our children experience delays and require supports that drastically exceed the intensity, frequency, and complexity of raising a child without additional needs. The therapies we receive do not replace our parenting; they sustain it. Without them, we would not cope. I am terrified for families managing complex behaviors, feeding tubes, or intensive physical needs who cannot safely absorb these cuts. Forcing families to shoulder this immense burden alone strips parents of their humanity and will inevitably lead to widespread family breakdown.

  3. Dangerous Delays in Review Timeframes I am incredibly alarmed by the NDIS moving from a 3-week timeframe to a 3-month timeframe to review a decision or a change in circumstances. Disability needs are often dynamic, urgent, and unpredictable. If a critical change occurs in my children’s lives, waiting three months for adequate support is dangerous and unacceptable. This delay will inevitably push participants into crisis, placing an extreme burden on an already overwhelmed health and hospital system, and will likely lead to an increase in relinquishments to state care as families break under the pressure.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1328

  1. Long-Term Societal Costs and Loss of Future Capacity My children have immense capacity to learn, grow, and contribute to society, but this is entirely dependent on receiving the right individualized supports now. By failing to see them as individuals, these new changes jeopardize their ability to access school, engage in the community, and build their independence. Diminishing their capacity today guarantees a greater, more costly dependence on society in the future.

We rely on the NDIS to survive and to give our children a fighting chance at an independent future. The proposed changes threaten to undo years of hard-fought progress.

If the government is worried about funding NDIS, why don’t they take the advice of MP David Pocock and tax gas companies 25% which would bring in $17B annually in revenue, easily enough to cover the proposed $36B cuts to NDIS by 2030. Doesn’t that send a better message to the community that the government values it people more than corporations?

I urge you to stand up for the vulnerable families in our electorate and raise these issues in parliament before the bill is passed.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,