Page 3622 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 24 November 2021
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textbook example of ignorance being bliss. It allows the minister to say that everything is fine because she has no data at hand to tell her otherwise.
In stark contrast, stakeholders have informed me that not only are many cases of autism not detected early but the number of low income families seeking autism assessments for children aged 12 and above has recently spiked here in the ACT, reaching levels never seen before.
Research identifies several factors that may contribute to the delayed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, for a variety of possible reasons—some biological and some cultural. Autism is regularly diagnosed at a significantly higher age in females. Children from migrant and refugee backgrounds often experience delayed diagnosis as well, with symptoms masked by learning to speak English as a second language or misinterpreted as cultural differences. Similarly, the presence of comorbid disorders such as ADHD, OCD or social anxiety disorder can leave the underlying autism undetected until later.
Research by psychologists Shilpa Aggarwal and Beth Angus found that, in Australia, one primary factor is that symptoms are regularly not picked up by school systems or primary care physicians even after concerns are raised by their parents. In other cases, parents are unaware of symptoms or what they mean, especially in high-functioning or milder cases, and sometimes such cases do not manifest until later as well.
The reality of delayed diagnosis requires two different approaches, which are both addressed directly in this motion. First, acknowledge that girls, children with migrant and refugee backgrounds and others are statistically likely to experience late diagnosis, and then have mechanisms in place to support that diagnosis to occur, especially for families who cannot afford a private assessment. This is the approach taken by several Australian jurisdictions.
Tasmania provides free public assessments to children and young people below the age of 18. Western Australia provides free public assessments to young people under the age of 16 in the Perth region and under the age of 18 in the rest of the state. In addition to this, the Western Australian government provides grants that allow a limited number of residents to access free private assessments up to the age of 30. In Queensland, a child can be referred to that state’s child development program if they are under nine years of age. Otherwise, referral is made to local general paediatric services which accept new patients up to the age of 16.
South Australia takes a different approach and provides government-subsidised autism assessments through a private provider. These assessments cost $1,000 for children and young people under the age of 18, with those under the age of 13 being eligible for a Medicare rebate. Assessments for those aged 18 and over cost $600. In the Northern Territory, children can be referred to the Children’s Development Team for assessment but autism assessments for adolescents can also be performed by school psychologists.
I am calling on the ACT government to do something similar: extend access to public autism assessment to young people under the age of 18. The main goal of this change
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