Autistic children with mild to moderate developmental delay will no longer be eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from mid-2027.

Instead, they will be directed to a new support system called Thriving Kids. This is yet to be fully designed, but it’s intended to prioritise children receiving support through mainstream community-based services.

Understandably, some parents and professionals are concerned, and many are asking whether the new program can match the support currently provided through the NDIS.

While time will reveal the impact of the policy, the more urgent task now is to define and deliver what best practice looks like for autistic children.

Read more: 'Thriving Kids' could help secure the future of the NDIS. But what will the program mean for children and families?

With the announcement came some confusion about autism and developmental delay.

Disability and NDIS Minister Mark Butler referred to children with “mild to moderate autism” which is not actually a diagnosis, or a way we talk about autism in contemporary practice.

A clearer way would have been to refer to children with developmental delay as the target group for Thriving Kids, noting it will include many, but not all, autistic children.

The wording is important........

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