To: The House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability &
The Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing
Submission: Inquiry Into the Thriving Kids Initiative
DISABILITY DEFINES ABILITY
“The neurodiversity movement argues for a paradigm shift that recognises difference as naturally occurring and all neurotypes as equal. To fully achieve this requires a radical overhauling of society, institutions, and behaviour to remove the privileging of neurotypical ways of thinking and being. On the road towards this ideal, we need to address and tackle these oppressive structures that disable and disadvantage neurodivergent individuals.”
(Craddock, E., 2024)
Table of Contents
Submission: Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative
DISABILITY DEFINES ABILITY 1
Introduction 1
Summary
Terms of Reference
A Teacher’s Perspective 3 Lived Teacher Experience. Arguments & Recommendations From a Teacher. A Mother’s Perspective 9 Lived Parent Experience. Arguments & Recommendations From A Parent.
An AuDHDer’s Perspective 15
Lived Disability Experience. Arguments & Recommendations From A Neurodivergent Adult. A Final Word 19 PS. Bibliography. 20 Appendices. 22
Introduction
To be an Australian is an honour, as we have the freedom to pave the way toward a goal for true equity. The minds of our children are precious and fragile. Our responsibility for the younger generation is to nurture the seed they each carry within, in order for them become a healthy part of our wider social ecosystem. Wellness defines illness, death defines life, fragility defines strength. Without a diversity of abilities, we would simply collapse. This inquiry presents an opportunity to foster an age of neurodiversity affirmation; for the benefit of all abilities.
SUMMARY
The structure of this submission gives credence to three key perspectives:
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An education perspective, from over ten years of teaching in Australian government primary schools;
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A parent perspective, from over seven years of motherhood of two children (one a currently funded NDIS recipient); and
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A personal perspective, as a late identified Thrice Exceptional (3e) woman, with details on 3e later.
Each of these perspectives, or hats (colloquially speaking), is shared through stories from my life. Each story gives meaning to recommendations, which are directly linked to the reason for their value and purpose. Although this submission feels rushed and still in draft form, I graciously beg consideration with the fullness of perspective that it deserves.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
This submission specifically addresses the following selected Terms of Reference:
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Examine evidence-based information and resources that could assist parents identify if their child has mild to moderate development delay and support parents to provide support to these children.
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Examine the effectiveness of current (and previous) programs and initiatives that identify children with development delay, autism or both, with mild to moderate support needs and support them and their families. This should focus on community and mainstream
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engagement, and include child and maternal health, primary care, allied health playgroups, early childhood education and care and schools.
- Identify gaps in workforce support and training required to deliver Thriving Kids.
- Draw on domestic and international policy experience and best practice.
- Identify mechanisms that would allow a seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs.
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A Teacher’s Perspective
LIVED TEACHER EXPERIENCE.
My first year teaching as a graduate was in outer-metro Melbourne with a group of 7-9 year old students in a school with a low socioeconomic profile. I joyously threw myself into that role with outrageous dedication and high expectations; giving 50+ hours weekly to a job paying me for 36. However, the one year post graduate teaching degree left me gasping in the deep end.
An autistic boy I instantly connected with in my first class was funded to have a Teacher Aide work with him for 80% of the week. This Aide and his mother, my first encounter of heartfelt advocacy, respectfully helped me realise I knew nothing about assisting students with a disability in my classroom. They represented the child with true respect and fairness, in amongst attitudes of disrespect and unfairness, which in turn provided an example to me that I would return to in my mind time and again. I suffered debilitating panic attacks during this time.
As a more experienced Foundation Team Leader at a different school in inner Melbourne with a higher socioeconomic profile. My workload weighted more heavily toward children with disabilities, causing resentful remarks from parents of other students. My responsibility to provide information to multiple parents navigating their way through funding applications was overwhelming. Collating the type of evidence requested from the department was baffling, as was the advice from more experienced colleagues in how to maximise the application outcome by ‘playing the game’. Compiling essential documentation to assist families with their funding applications was time consuming and emotionally challenging.
As a Transition Co-ordinator I advocated for budget to be put aside to allow me to visit incoming students in their Kinder environment, a rare but golden experience. The Transition Statements filled out for each child were invaluable, helping my team create classes of ‘hopefully’ balanced needs. Connecting in the school holidays before Term 1 to children of potential, or diagnosed with, additional needs via one on one classroom tours or getting to know you times made the transition much smoother. I required regular psychological counselling during this time.
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After extensive self-financed training, successful scholarship applications and self motivated professional reading one might expect the job was simpler. Yet our system shackles even the most talented of employees to a restrictive and under-resourced hamster wheel. I worked for three years at another government school as a Grade One/ Two classroom teacher and Team Leader.
Knowing how to best support my students was easy, being able to best support them was not. Even with qualifications, one teacher for 25+ students as well as tracking disability needs is not possible. Over the three years, the only additional adult help in the walls of those classrooms was from one privately employed support worker - by the family of an incredible Twice Exceptional (2e) autistic child.
Inadequate classroom facilities, piteous looks from frustrated parents, witnessing children suffering daily meltdowns requiring crucial attention to safety, and creations of extensive individualised learning plans with complex assessment measures was all but a heavy slice of the total work week. I was suffering from chronic burnout and was forced to use sick pay to remedy extreme anxiety and depression.
Nevertheless, the families I worked with continued to share their gratitude and appreciation for the role I played in their children’s lives. Due to my love for the education profession, I miraculously maintained a facade of strength, kindness and approachability. I additionally required a high dose of antidepressant medication during this time.
ARGUMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A TEACHER.
Pre-graduating teachers must take mandatory units regarding disability. Maintaining teaching registration must rely upon continued training in the disability sector. As the load of knowledge expectations upon each classroom teacher becomes too great, true equity of everyone’s opportunity to learn could be upheld by mandating to have a disability qualified educator alongside every graduate classroom teacher.
Teachers are so often the conduit, as such their general knowledge of whole-child supports is required. Role models within, and outside of, school communities. Exposure to affirming language and representation. Support for graduate teachers (via registration requirements perhaps?) in relation to knowledge about what families can access for their children, options for disability funding, access to assistance in having difficult conversations with families who may not yet be ready to accept their child’s differences.
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Learning beside an already qualified practitioner. Additional non-contact teaching time assists graduates.
Key information from early childhood educators must be passed to the school. Early childhood settings on the grounds of primary schools would minimise transition distress and increase ease of communication. Additional meetings, tours out of school hours, asking the child what they need and implementing actions before the school year begins is a missing component in the current system.
“Inclusive education is a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [1] acknowledges that to achieve this, changes are needed to schooling environments.”2
A heartbreaking reality seen too often, is that the families of children without additional needs begin to resent those with disabilities. This prolongs harmful stigma towards a group of Australians who have an equally important role in our community. Stigma can be dynamic and contextual but the aim in erasing it remains consistent across the board. The goal of any welfare model is not to reinforce ‘otherness’, it is to eliminate any attitude of ‘us/them’ and connect everyone to an experience of feeling both abled and disabled. An environment that avoids framing difference as something to be accommodated out of obligation is what we should be building.
Parents of non-disabled children also deserve a confident belief that their child is able to thrive alongside a child with a disability. Equity and equality are not the same thing but we must proceed with caution so as to bring all abilities into agreement about access to opportunities. Fairness doesn’t mean everyone gets the same thing - it means everyone gets what they need; please support the population in reframing unhelpful notions about ‘extra help’ at school and how it is actually of benefit to everyone.
The financial and energy waste occurring for teachers having to double up on reports, assessments, meetings and planning documents is extraordinary. Maintaining the paper
1 United Nations, 2016
2 UNESCO (2005, 13)
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trail needed for each child in the class with a disability profile must be streamlined, centralised and accessible to all stakeholders. Automatic links to resources, as well as instant access to pertinent facts or processes and policies need to be made easily available to all teachers.
Policy makers and MPs of relevant sectors need to make better use of the information gathered annually by the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). This information captures a minimum picture of the ‘deemed’ reasonable adjustments allowing kids to participate in school education on the same basis as students without disability. So much more is happening in reality. The percentage of students with an identified disability, those with pending assessments, and those with diagnosis denial compared to those without a disability is so much higher than captured by the NCCD.
In December 2022, Education Ministers agreed on a National Teacher Workforce Action
Plan, which sets out a clear pathway to addressing the national issue of teacher workforce shortages. However, to my limited knowledge it seems there is a severe lack of mention in regard to one of the largest issues impacting the goal of accessibility to mainstream education for children with disabilities, particularly ‘hidden’ disabilities such as ADHD and ASD. For example, Priority Area 3, ‘Keeping the Teachers we have’, does not have any goals for support regarding disability.
Priority Area 5 includes an excellent start regarding “work to incorporate additional questions related to teacher wellbeing and career intentions into the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) survey” 3 so I urge this to stretch this into the area of disability. Further, Action 12 relates to ‘Pilot new approaches to reduce teacher workload through a Workload Reduction Fund to maximise the value of a teacher’s time’. I watch with keen interest as a new pilot to help reduce teacher workload began in May 2024; “the program will employ 11 specialist staff to support teachers and principals across 33 state schools, this includes primary, secondary, and special schools. The new staff will manage administrative workloads across health, safety and wellbeing” 4 .
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In 2016, the Australian Council of Educational Research found “Victorian teachers worked an average of 53 hours per week during term time” 5 and four years later an “AEU survey of more than 10,000 teachers and principals made clear that excessive working hours had not shifted since 2016.” 6 The workload from desperately attempting to keep up with the important needs of students with a disability is a contributing factor to long work hours.
The necessary time, on top of the usual teacher workload, children with additional needs deserve in order to thrive is that of an entirely additional employee. It is possible to create a learning environment in every school where all children can access opportunities for personal growth. However, unrealistic expectations are placed on too few people.
Administrative work, paperwork, goal setting and reviews can be done by support staff or other trained allied health partners. Allied health is a key component of the support system needed for children with additional needs. Inviting pre-service allied health students (e.g. speech/occupational/music/art/play therapists) into the school gates would not only address practical experience requirements, but also alleviate the classroom teacher to uphold their responsibility to be present for every child in the class.
There is so much research regarding environmental quality on learning. Consider the benefit to all learners in using Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) monitoring systems to maintain light, sound and movement levels for better outcomes. The Designing Learning Spaces for Diversity, Inclusion and Participation project “aims to develop a comprehensive framework for designing inclusive learning spaces in mainstream schools” 7 . Research by LeARN at The University of Melbourne regarding the physical environment and the impact of differing furniture arrangements on students’ agency and engagement needs to be used in our schools now. Acoustic, visual and tactile effects on the people inside the school gates and sensory guidelines have already been developed 8
5 AEU Victoria 10 Year Plan, https://www.aeuvic.asn.au/sites/default/files/PublicFiles/AEUVictoria10yearplan.pdf
6 Weldon, P. R., & Ingvarson, L. (2016) School Staff Workload Study: Final Report to the Australian Education Union–Victorian Branch, ACER, Camberwell @ http://puteducation1st.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AEU-Workload-Survey-Report-FINAL PublicVersionII18 10-3pw-1.pdf
7 Ben Cleveland, 2024, https://architectureau.com/articles/wangaratta-district-specialist-school/
8 Natasha Mickovski’s Enabling Design Guidelines, research from the Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
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but we cannot see this in effect. With recent inquiry 9 into the place of special-purpose schools, improving experiences at mainstream schools for children with neurodivergent wiring must be the norm and not the exception. There is much existing evidence outlining the impact of environmental influences on cognitive function, as well as an increased understanding of sensory overload experience by autistic and other neurodivergent people every day.
9 Senate Committee, https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary Business/Committees/Senate/Education and Employment/ students with disability/Report/c05
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A Mother’s Perspective
LIVED PARENT EXPERIENCE.
“Good luck with this one”, words uttered in the delivery room by the doctor in passing me my first born child. The term ‘unsettled baby’ became frequently used in reference to my little girl over the first months of her life. I was beside myself with exhaustion. I dove deeply into every book I could read, tried eagerly to gain ideas from the Maternal Child Health Nurse, my GP, paediatrician and two lactation consultants. At the age of five months, my daughter and I were admitted to a Mother Baby Unit as she only ever slept for 40 minutes at a time. Maternal exhaustion is what the admission papers stated. Not a single person, professional or otherwise, suggested to me my child could be neurodivergent.
I was trapped at home, unable to leave due extremely rigid routines and hideously unachievable expectations. Surprisingly, the local mother’s group became a lifejacket to me. Being able to walk the pram and sit with a known person living nearby was a priceless gift. I was able to see their babies growing up too and we swapped stories. The list of subtle differences I noticed in my daughter’s behaviour compared to others was quickly growing. Her intensity, language acquisition, irritability, curiosity, preferences and social interactions just a handful of never ending observations. I was so depleted that delusions of being hit by a bus to provide some rest seemed sensible during this time.
Taking a toddler for vaccinations is never fun; but I can guess there must be others like me for whom it is a nightmarish scenario. “You are being naughty”, the nurse scolded my daughter as she was screaming and crying in protest to the impending injection. This statement poured fuel on the fire, my daughter now wildly scratching and biting, not just me, and the nurse, but also herself. I physically restrained her as blood pooled on my hand and the nurse forcibly jabbed the medicine into her arm. Painful guilt followed by horror ripped through me as next my tiny four year old tore off all her clothes screaming “Give me my blood back! Take this out!” on repeat for what felt like eternity. After nearly an hour of distress, violence and desperate negotiations I was able to wrap her in a borrowed blanket and carry her, with the help of another nurse, to my car. My 18 month old boy was with us this whole time; witness, and likely victim, to yet another trauma.
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That was but one afternoon of many similarly bloodcurdling meltdowns claiming hours of each day; a self-harming toddler, jumping off the side of a boat into the ocean, running in busy car parks, unbuckling her seatbelt on the freeway, leaving cuts and bruises, taking over an hour to get dressed with assistance each day (Appendix 2), excruciating separation anxiety, and refusing assistance with anything from anyone other than me. Seeing her experiences of the world triggered what I now understand were my own trauma reactions. If not for my intuition, and a single phone call to an allied health professional I knew from my teaching days, I’m not sure when the diagnosis could have been made. This one professional I reached out to immediately recognised what was happening, believed me, and showed me the way.
The way to a diagnosis at the age of three was absolutely a difficult and expensive path. Fortunately, the Local Area Coordinator from the Brotherhood of St Laurence allocated to help me with an NDIS application was extremely well trained and, likely due to her lived experience, was genuine with her support. The entire staff at my daughter’s childcare centre were ‘so surprised’ by her final psychological report stating a Twice Exceptional (2e) diagnosis. The mix of a full scale IQ in the 98th percentile and autism was a new concept to these Early Childhood qualified people; as it was to me, in my first year of teaching. I began to question my own identity during this time.
Daughter’s note to the tooth fairy (Appendix 1). Joy in responding to other parents having the courage to share their stories with me. Pointing them to the people and resources I discovered along the journey. Primary School on my side to make a DI application, lengthy resource draining progress (nearly 50% of NDIS funds that year was for report writing alone). One hour per term for SSG meeting, my role in coordinating the multiple team members goals and observations. I found real allies during this time.
ARGUMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A PARENT.
Very limited data is openly available about Australian “sleep schools” but 42% of Victorian children in aged 5-17 have recently been reported 10 to have problems with sleeping patterns. Data about early infant crying 11 indicate a peak of increased unsettledness around 2 months of age, which can be as much as 5-6 hours of crying for
10 RCH National Child Health Poll – Are kids sleeping soundly? Views of Australian parents, 2025
11
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those in the higher range. These ‘high crier’ babies are ones to monitor. Mother/Father Baby Units should record and analyse data collected about inpatients, such as:
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long-term health diagnoses of in-patients (i.e. neurodivergence, digestion ailments),
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feedback regarding effectiveness of sticking to a routine (i.e. exact bedtime, same song every sleep time), or
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feedback regarding sensory stimulation/avoidance (i.e. pitch black room, no talking, ‘shushing’).
The information about the babies and parents visiting these places is of utmost interest. It also offers an opportunity to discuss sensory sensitivities or routine preferences in a child, which can be the first observations for a potential diagnosis. A ‘traffic light’ system or visual flowchart can help primary caregivers reduce anxiety and gently prepare families for the possibility of a disability.
Finally, online access to resources is crucial, as so many parents are isolated at home. Accessibility to a variety of communication pathways (video, written, audio, in person) reaches a wider audience. Prenatal classes and lactation consultants are other currently missed opportunities which can offer parents information pertaining to neurodivergent preferences e.g. offering adjustment ideas to mothers with strong sensory aversions to breastfeeding or crying babies.
“In 2022, there were 314,300 primary carers who were caring for a child or young person aged 0-24 years with disability. Of these primary carers:
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91.2% were a father or mother of their main recipient of care
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84.3% were female, compared with 15.0% male
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213,900 were caring for a child aged 0-14 years, almost double the number of those caring for a young person aged 15-24 years (119,300)
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61.6% provided an average of 20 or more hours of care per week to all their recipients of care
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36.0% had disability themselves.” Page 11 of 22
Intergenerational trauma passes down. ACE program in USA. Economic/social impact of increased mental health illness in primary caregivers e.g. two people to support when it could have been one prior to having a child.
“You don’t seem autistic” came from the mouth of a Maternal Child Health Nurse (MCHN) when I disclosed my disability during my son’s routine visit. MCHNs are the first point of contact for parents about their child’s development and must be trained in the use of neuro affirming practice. They should also be able to refer families to appropriate therapies and have up-to-date lists of local or specifically trained professionals who can provide deeper insights to their general advice.
Health, Learning and Development books, such as the Victorian ‘green books’ 12, are another example of a resource not aligned with best practice or current research regarding neurodiversity. The Parents’ Evaluations of Developmental Status (PEDS) found within the ‘green book’ is a potentially useful tool for families, but it should be updated to the revised version (PEDS-R®) 13 or adapted for Australian use. Additionally, MCHNs and GPs should treat the responses with greater legitimacy. A follow-up PEDS-style record with questions about behaviours unique to very young neurodivergent children can clarify concerns and ease potential anxiety. Using current research from credible sources, such as SPARK 14 or Princeton University’s four distinct subtypes of autism 15, to guide observations would allow parents to understand their child’s needs from the very beginning.
In cases of disability or potential disability, long-term connections can significantly help parents ‘track’ their child’s early years development. While various observations from different settings contribute to a comprehensive picture, a trained person overseeing the various assessments and reports, in collaboration with the family, can assist parents in identifying potential indicators of neurodivergence.
I feel deeply let down by the Early Childhood educators who did not pick up on the developmental delay in my daughter at childcare and Kindergarten. They were loving and
12 My Health, Learning and Development book (green book), Better Health Channel website, accessed 1/10/2025, https:// www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/victorian-child-health-record
13 Parents’ Evaluations of Developmental Status-Revised, Dr Frances Page Glascoe, Vanderbilt University, United States of America
14 SPARK, Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge, https://sparkforautism.org/
15 Litman, A., Sauerwald, N., Green Snyder, L. et al. Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs. Nat Genet 57, 1611–1619 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02224-z
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kind and provided an incredible service, but they did not have either the confidence or the skills to walk beside me as I navigated her disability diagnosis. My own skills in education are what assisted with her early supports and access to additional targeted therapy. Programs of huge benefit that I sourced on my own and from trusted Allied Health professionals I engaged along the way have included:
- Social Thinking Program
- Functional Behavioural Therapy
- Play therapy
- Declarative language techniques
- Davis Autism Early Life Concepts
- Music therapy The continued support via targeted therapies tailored to her individual disability profile have given essential encouragement and reflection which contribute to her wellbeing.
There is unique support required for parents with a disabled child. This uniqueness is amplified when the parent is also disabled. Groups offering learning and community such as Yellow Ladybugs 16 have proved an invaluable support to me as a parent. Furthermore, not-for-profits such as the Victorian Association for Gifted and Talented Children (VAGTC), organisations such as Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia) and Autism Awareness Australia understand the specific needs of their supporters and advocate on their behalf so they can reach their full potential.
I have been privileged enough to be able to act as my daughter’s disability advocate. The time, finances and effort involved are beyond what I imagine is possible if I had been also in full time paid employment. I know the contributions of so many other Carers and advocates are supremely undervalued and invisible.
Centralised allied health information is needed for a child’s support team to access at all
17times. Tools like SameView should be available for free as it simplifies the coordination of
16 Yellow Ladybugs, https://www.yellowladybugs.com.au/
17 SameView, https://www.sameview.com.au/
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management plans between care teams and alleviates pressure on the primary caregiver to be the ubiquitous gatekeeper. It would eliminate inefficiencies and allow for better resource allocation. The platform would provide awareness of goals and outcomes of the child’s overall management plan, link to quality resources and services, and offer insights into the child’s life. It would facilitate transitions between major milestones, such as kindergarten-primary and primary-secondary schooling, if also accessible by education settings.
A central platform might act as the accountability and transparency to all involved which is needed in this time of ‘debt recovery’. Concerns over responsible spending are reasonable, however, the provision for allied health and other disability supporters to improve their services is as important as eliminating funding for those who abuse their position.
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An AuDHDer’s Perspective
LIVED DISABILITY EXPERIENCE.
My childhood, playground social jungle, bullying. Self harm beginning from age of twelve with eating restrictions. Teen years continued self harm by cutting, drug and alcohol abuse, risky behaviour and suicidal ideation. Completed high school and university education by miracle. Curious as to what my potential to contribute could have been without the decade of mental illness as I have since recently discovered my full scale IQ is in the gifted range. I believed there was something wrong with me during this time.
My post natal and prenatal experience with newborns. Perfectionism, intense routines recording of feeding and sleeping, hyper fixation on topics related to baby health/ wellbeing, and social anxiety. Exacerbation of isolation. Mental Health Care plans non stop for over a decade. Reliance on self-funding psychology and psychiatry. Diagnosis of C-PTSD and perinatal anxiety. I sobbed myself to sleep every night during this time.
Navigating my own adult diagnosis came, without invitation, as I navigated my daughter’s diagnosis. A story I come across more often as each day passes due to the alarming number of other wonderful neurodivergent adults unaware of how to explain their inner feeling of ‘wrongness’. I am eternally grateful to my daughter for letting me see firsthand how perplexing this world is for an autistic toddler, now child, as she thrives and survives depending on a complex assortment of factors. It was painful for me to experience symptoms of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) as she simultaneously suffered violent meltdowns for hours upon end. We were a mess together.
After 12 months of hypothesising autism for me (secretly) and my daughter (with my husband), he asked one night, “do you think you could be autistic too?”. I didn’t have to keep my hypothesis a secret any longer, “yes” I replied. For the next 24 months, I continued to isolate my hypothesis as I concurrently struggled through the process of endless paperwork needed for my daughter’s NDIS ECEI application for Developmental Delay. I didn’t share my diagnosis, or experiences throughout that time, with a single soul. I was too afraid. I was trying to understand my new identity. I was both relieved to know, but also disorientated about how to share it with others.
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ARGUMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A NEURODIVERGENT ADULT.
Data from the 2024 Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCDD) shows that over one quarter of our school children received an educational adjustment for disability 18. Over one million 19 children is a large proportion of our community deserving equity in opportunities. Proactive support is proven to reduce and/or ease the risk of future negative outcomes and strain on welfare resources.
Mental illness and psychological distress rates for those with disability are higher than those without disability 20. Similarly, suicide rates are three times greater than the general population 21. In accordance with the 2022 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) nearly 60% of 5-20 year olds with disability experienced difficulty at their place of learning. ‘Smoothing life out’ is not the goal, but the experiences of learning/emotional/ concentration/social barriers should not be increased for those at greater risk of suicide, self-harm, or psychological distress.
Nevertheless, the same survey population found “52.7% of people aged 15-24 years with disability were studying, and this was similar for males (51.3%) and females (55.1%). Furthermore, “almost three quarters (74.3%) of people aged 20-24 years with disability had completed year 12, compared with nearly nine in ten young people without disability (87.4%)”. People with a disability want to learn, they want to work. Even with large hurdles, they are pushing through to advocate for their right to access the same as fellow Australians. However, there remains a 13% gap between those with and without a disability. This is an area for improvement or, in the very least, reflection.
Children create an inner voice from the reactions of others around them. A minority group, behaving in a way that is regulating to their needs (i.e. stimming), benefits greatly from an adult voice facilitating healthy patterns of thinking and attitudes within their learning community. Counsellors, psychologists in training, social workers and other similarly minded cultural leaders need to be placed at a ratio of 1:50 in every school
18 Non-government Schools Census 2015-2024; Government Schools Data Submission 2015-2024
20 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024) People with disability in Australia 2024, catalogue number DIS 72, AIHW,
Australian Government
21 https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/population-groups/disability-service-users
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setting. These cultural leaders can help shift an entire generation of unhealthy treatment of minority groups and normalise neurodiversity. This extends to identifying and embracing other ‘hidden’ outlier neuro profiles; such as the gifted, dyslexic, dysgraphic, and AuDHDers.
The Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 sets teaching expectations regardless of background or location for all young Australians 22. Establishing the General Capabilities as the primary source of teaching, and the Learning Areas as a secondary source, will provide essential opportunities for all young people regardless of disability status. The General Capabilities outlined include ‘intercultural understanding’, ‘ethical understanding’ and ‘personal and social capability’ are rich with potential. Using these as the leading learning topics from pre-school and throughout a young persons education would solidify a healthy view of themself as a learner and positive contributor to society.
Psychological safety has been seen as an important element underpinning learning behaviours (Carmeli, Brueller, and Dutton 2009; Edmondson, 1999 23 ). 24 In 2022, “around two-thirds (68.2%) of young people with disability, aged 15-24 years who answered for themselves, said they had experienced barriers to participating in social or community activities in the last 3 months. This was similar for males (67.0%) and females (72.0%). Of those who reported barriers, some of the commonly reported ones were:
- cost (66.2%)
- fear or anxiety (56.8%)
- own disability / condition (38.5%)”. Data of pre-peri-post-natal depression/anxiety rates. Reference to ‘Homb’ type facilities.
2022 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) found “Over two thirds (67.1%) of children and young people aged 0-24 years with disability reported a mental or
22 https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
23 Carmeli, A., Brueller, D. and Dutton, J.E. (2009), Learning behaviours in the workplace: The role of high-quality interpersonal relationships and psychological safety. Syst. Res., 26: 81-98. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.932
24 Charteris, J., Anderson, J., & Page, A. (2021). Psychological safety in innovative learning environments: planning for inclusive spaces. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(5), 688–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1974108
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behavioural disorder as the main condition causing the most problems. The most common included:
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problems with psychological development (23.9%), including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (18.5%) and Dyslexia (4.9%)
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behavioural, cognitive and emotional problems with usual onset in childhood or adolescence (20.6%), including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (17.3%, up from 7.2% in 2018)
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Anxiety disorders (13.1%), including Generalised Anxiety Disorder (11.5%).” The obstetric care model for women with an identified disability should offer alternative pathways, if so desired, during pregnancy and the six weeks following birth (or miscarriage). The mental wellbeing of primary caregiver is .
The cost of the assessment, is completely unattainable for most. Yet a diagnosis of so many other disabilities is free. I am aware of my privilege and ashamed it is not available to others in need. Not only the initial assessment, but the continuity of care post assessment is also out of reach for too many. Models such as support groups e.g. cancer/ diabetes/permanent trauma. Identify movements such as LGBTQI+. Age of neurodiversity affirming celebrations.
“When care is adaptable to multiple aspects of one’s identity, the treatment plans are more tailored to individuals needs. Additionally, when care is identity-affirming, it provides a safe and empowering environment for self-advocacy.” (Kroll). ACT therapy. Access to opportunities to speak with specialised assessor online, include Say Hooray. Access to support resources created by the community for which they are intended. Only 30% of disability research and policy is co-authored by the disabled community. ND should be part of this conversation, not being the topic of the conversation. Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria and the complex psychological processes which create mental illness issues such as self harm and substance abuse. Note Princeton study on four autistic subtypes. Data on psychological safety in the workplace. Research on opportunities for disclosure. Psychological safety to share difficult stories with others, e.g. Hugh Van C open letter include social media impact. Opportunities for disclosure. Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. Mental Health Care Plans, ‘chronic’ vs ‘acute’.
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A Final Word
I continue to navigate advocating for my Thrice Exceptional (gifted, autistic, ADHDer) identity. I have sometimes had the courage to be open to others about my identity, receiving mixed responses which inevitably cause internal distress needing psychological support from my indispensable psychologist and psychiatrist. A diagnosis earlier in life might have curtailed all of my personal welfare maladaptions, in the very least my psychological well-being would have been far ahead of where it stands now. However, I am blessedly beginning to understand my needs and be compassionate towards myself; this allows me to be a far better contributor to the communities of which I finally believe I am an important part.
PS.
Please forgive the very many unfinished trains of thought throughout this submission. I tried so hard to capture all I wanted within the short time-frame, my unfinished mess is hopefully able to still share things that matter to me for this important inquiry.
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Appendices.
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