The National Disability Insurance Scheme provides funding and support for Australians with permanent and significant disability. For school-aged kids, it can fund therapies, tutoring, aids, and assistive technology.
It's not: a cure. A replacement for school support. A simple process. But it can be transformative if your child qualifies.
Key point: Schools must provide reasonable adjustments and support regardless of NDIS funding. NDIS is additional.
Your child needs to have a permanent and significant disability that affects their functioning. This includes:
The bar is "permanent" and "significant." ADHD alone usually doesn't qualify, but severe ADHD with other issues might. You won't know until you apply.
Step 1: Contact the NDIS or ask your doctor for a referral.
Step 2: Gather evidence (medical reports, school reports, assessments).
Step 3: Submit an access request with your evidence.
Step 4: NDIS decides (roughly 3–6 months).
Step 5: If approved, you get a plan. If not, you can request a review.
It's slow. Start early if you think your child might qualify. Better to apply at Year 3 and wait than to apply at Year 7 when you're desperate.
Once you're approved, you and the NDIS create a plan. It outlines your child's goals and what support will fund them. For school-aged kids, this might include:
You usually manage the budget and hire your own providers. It requires paperwork, but you have flexibility.
The school still provides teaching and reasonable adjustments. NDIS funds additional support—like a speech pathologist, tutoring, or an aide if recommended by assessment.
Good schools coordinate with NDIS-funded providers. Providers come in, run sessions, feed back to teachers. It's teamwork.
Bad coordination = therapist working in isolation, school not knowing what's happening, duplicated or contradictory strategies. Push for coordination meetings.
Visit ndia.gov.au or call 1800 800 110. Ask about access. They'll ask questions about your child's disability and how it affects them.
Talk to your GP. They can provide the medical evidence you need. Ask the school to write a report on your child's support needs and functioning at school.
Be honest about impact. The NDIS looks for real, significant effects on functioning. Minimising it won't help you. Exaggerating it will backfire.
If approved, breathe. You now have funding to support your child. Use it wisely.
