Submission 1928

28/5/2026

I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.

My name is redacted and I am a single mother to two beautiful children aged 10 and 7 who are on the NDIS scheme. Both of my children have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 2, ADHD, Specific Learning Disorder, and Anxiety. While they share the same diagnoses, they are very different children with very different needs, personalities, triggers, strengths, and challenges.

Caring for two neurodivergent children as a single parent is both rewarding and extremely demanding. My children require constant support with emotional regulation, communication, sensory challenges, learning difficulties, daily routines, social interactions, and anxiety management. Their disabilities impact almost every aspect of our daily lives, including schooling, appointments, community participation, sleep, behaviour regulation, and their ability to function independently.

NDIS supports are incredibly important to our family because they provide my children with access to therapies, interventions, and supports that help them develop essential life skills, improve emotional regulation, build independence, and participate more fully in everyday life. These supports also help reduce the long-term impacts of their disabilities and allow them to achieve goals that would otherwise be much harder to reach.

The therapies and supports funded through the NDIS help my children with areas such as:

• Emotional regulation and anxiety management
• Social skills and communication
• Learning and developmental support
• Sensory regulation
• Building independence with daily activities

Submission 1928

Community Access and Participation

Behavioural Support Strategies

These supports are not only important for my children’s wellbeing and development, but also for maintaining stability within our household. As a single mother, I carry the full responsibility of coordinating appointments, advocating for their educational and medical needs, managing behavioural and emotional challenges, and ensuring both children receive the support they require. There is also a significant financial toll associated with raising two children with complex additional needs. I currently work part-time because my children are unable to access outside school care due to their disabilities and support needs. I frequently need to leave work or collect my children from school early when they experience severe anxiety, emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, or absconding behaviours such as running away from classrooms or school grounds. Their needs require me to be consistently available and flexible, which limits my capacity to work additional hours and maintain financial stability. As a single-income household, we are already financially struggling. The cost of appointments, therapies, travel, specialist supports, medications, school supports, sensory items, and ongoing care places enormous pressure on our family financially. Without NDIS supports, many of these essential services would become unaffordable and inaccessible. If my children were unable to access NDIS supports anymore, it would have a significant negative impact on both of them and our family as a whole. Without these supports, I believe their emotional regulation, anxiety, learning capacity, and ability to participate in everyday activities would decline significantly. There would likely be an overall increase in school refusal beyond what we already experience now, and the school would become increasingly unable to support their needs appropriately without the additional therapies and interventions currently in place. My children would also likely become more socially isolated and lose opportunities to continue building independence, coping skills, and confidence. The loss of supports would place immense pressure on me as their sole carer. Without therapy and support services, I would be managing increasingly complex needs alone, which could lead to severe burnout and further financial hardship while impacting my ability to

Submission 1928

continue providing the level of care they require. The NDIS plays a critical role in helping my children reach their potential and ensuring our family can continue functioning safely and sustainably. My children deserve the opportunity to thrive, participate in their community, and receive the support they need to live fulfilling lives despite the challenges associated with their disabilities.

Regards,