Page 3624 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 24 November 2021

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(i) statistically significant misdiagnosis in females, gender diverse children, and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;

(ii) the presence of comorbidities;

(iii) lack of awareness by parents; and

(iv) different autism presentations;

(2) also notes that:

(a) the ACT Government provides free access to ASD screening through the Child Development Service to children who have been referred before age 12;

(b) Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory provide free or subsidised assessments for young people up to age 16, age 18, or even older;

(d) the Child Development Service has introduced a telehealth service that has reduced the wait times for autism assessments for those who access it;

(e) stakeholders report a large increase in low-income Canberra families seeking autism assessments for young people age 12 and above;

(f) the high cost of private assessments may further delay, or even prevent, diagnosis and interventions for some families; and

(g) diagnosis has an important impact on NDIS eligibility, however, NDIS supports can be difficult for people to access regardless of diagnosis; and

(3) calls on the ACT Government to:

(a) increase the likelihood of early diagnosis of ASD by taking steps to increase awareness amongst both parents and professionals; and

(b) continue to explore innovative ways to provide autism assessments to more families with children up to 12 through the Child Development Service;

(c) continue to make reasonable adjustments to support public school students with their learning, whether or not they have an autism diagnosis; and

(d) continue working with the Commonwealth Government to ensure that NDIA work on thin markets addresses the increased need for allied health professionals for autism diagnosis in the ACT.”.

Early support through diagnosis can improve the long-term outcomes for people with autism. The ACT government is addressing the issue of diagnosis and access to allied health professionals, and I commend the important work of the Child Development Service. It is important to recognise that diagnosis is only the tip of the iceberg. Further, diagnosis does not guarantee that people with autism will be able to access NDIS services that are appropriate to their level of need.

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