10% September 2025 To whom it may concern
I am writing as a mother who is deeply concerned about the potential impact of the proposed changes to the NDIS and the new Thriving Kids Initiative on my son’s future.
My son i (ASD L2) is currently receiving vital NDIS supports that have been carefully put in place over the last year. These supports are working, they give him the stability, consistency, and structure he needs to grow, learn, and thrive. The progress he has made is a direct result of these services being tailored to his individual needs.
My biggest concern with the proposed changes to current NDIS funding and
progression to the new initiative could disrupt his progress. f | falls into the Level 2
category for diagnosis, he “Requires Substantial Support”. He would probably fall into the category that The Hon Mark Butler MP described and “mild to moderately autistic”. However, anyone who knows my son knows this isn’t always the case. He has intense emotional meltdowns, often needs one on one support at preschool and has a hard time engaging social with others despite being driven to have friends,
For a child like mine, stability is not just helpful, it is essential. He currently receives OT support for social and physical deficits as well as psychological support for emotional regulation and social interactions. We would like to see him accessing speech pathology for social and communication deficits as well but do not have access in our area at this time. Losing or altering the supports that are working for him risks undoing months of hard work and could cause him to regress. As a parent, this is an incredibly heavy fear to carry.
I understand and respect the government’s aim to improve outcomes for children, through this initiative and to make the NDIS more sustainable long term. But I urge you to ensure that reforms do not come at the cost of those already receiving the right supports for them. Funding cuts have already impacted our family in the first year of receiving supports. Changes to funding for children’s psychology caused us to lose ’s play therapist in July, which set us back months. He built a relationship with his therapist, trusted her and was expanding his ability to share with others, engage in play with them and communicate his needs without resulting in emotional distress. This support was taken from us overnight, without even the ability to process or say goodbye, and cause great emotional distress for the whole family. His ability to cope at school took a huge turn for the worse, he required much more one on one support from his teachers, and he was consistently emotionally dysregulated after school days. Our children’s futures depend on consistency, security, and a system that values the progress they have made.
Please protect the supports that children like my son rely on. Families like mine need reassurance that the reforms will strengthen, not weaken, the pathways that allow our children to truly thrive. Please work with families already receiving supports to make sure they do not lose these vital lifelines overnight. Losing a Occupational Therapist could drastically impact his and our quality of life as well as impact his upcoming transition to school. These are not small transitions in any child’s life but a child who already struggles
with communication, transition, social interaction and making friends, this will be huge. Pease protect the supports we already have, losing funding could mean losing these supports and people who truly make a difference in our lives.
Thank you for considering my perspective. Yours sincerely,