A senior adviser on child disability reform says the NDIS was a broken system for children, as the government moves to remove diagnosis barriers.
The federal government’s push to move children with low to moderate support needs off the NDIS has drawn blunt criticism of the scheme’s past performance from a key adviser.
Speaking alongside Health Minister Mark Butler in parliament, Thriving Kids Advisory Group co-chair Frank Oberklaid said the requirement for a formal diagnosis had fundamentally failed children and families.
Oberklaid, a paediatrician, said clinicians had long raised concerns about the way the NDIS operated for younger children.
“The minister said it was drifting – it wasn’t drifting, it was a broken system,” he said.
“It did not work for kids.”
He said paediatric practice should focus on what support a child and family need over the next six to 12 months, rather than on securing a diagnostic label.
Under the existing system, Oberklaid said access to services defaulted to a formal diagnosis, distorting clinical decision-making and placing pressure on doctors.
He said paediatricians were regularly asked by teachers to confirm autism diagnoses so children could qualify for support, despite clinical practice being centred on functional needs rather than labels.
The government’s proposed new model will allow children to access early supports without a formal diagnosis, a change Oberklaid said was critical to improving outcomes.
