Your child and the NDIS: What is (and isn’t) covered
Part 3 of Kids First’s helpful series of NDIS facts dives into the issue of services that your child could be eligible for under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Get the details below …
What does the NDIS cover?
Many northern beaches families were hopeful that the NDIS would cover the schooling or medical costs that take up much of their household budgets.
The NDIS does offer lots of opportunities to help children access the community, technology and other resources, but it doesn’t fund support that is already the responsibility of ‘mainstream’ services like education or health systems.
So, the NDIS won’t pay your child’s medical bills (that’s what Medicare is for)
And the NDIS won’t pay for your child’s school fees either.
However, there are many kinds of other supports that your child might be eligible for through the NDIS.
For example, your child could receive NDIS funding in order to:
- Receive therapies like speech pathology, occupational therapy or physiotherapy
- Get the use of equipment, such as a wheelchair or communication device
- Modify your home to make access simpler
Support may be one–off, such as to buy a new wheelchair or communication device, or it could be on-going, for example to pay for occuaptional therapy, speech therapy or an early intervention program that focuses on building social skills.
How often will your child’s plan be updated?
Typically, NDIS plan reviews take place every 12 months.
This gives you, your child and your NDIS professional the chance to speak about what is and is not working.
A plan review will also give you opportunities to change your child’s goals as your child’s needs and circumstances develop over time.
Of course, you can always ask for your child’s plan to be reviewed early if your son or daughter’s circumstances change.
And if you’re unhappy about any aspect of your child’s plan, you can contact the National Disability Support Agency to request a review.
Based on the information you provide, a senior NDIA staff member will decide whether you have grounds to review your child’s plan earlier than usual.
NDIS at Kids First
Kids First’s highly qualified team of speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and teachers has many years’ experience supporting children with disabilities. We’ve been accredited Helping Children with Autism providers since 2009 and Better Start for Children with Disability providers since 2011.
Kids First also has extensive experience supporting children who have self-managed or plan managed NDIS funding.
Simply give us a call on 9938 5419 to chat about how we can help your child make the most of the NDIS.
