5 Ways NDIS Can Help Special Needs Children 2022
Being a parent to a child with special needs can be a taxing challenge. Therefore, it’s extremely important for parents to know that they are not alone, and help is readily available to them. Accordingly, there’s a broad range of organizations that offer support for special-needs families.
One example is the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), a statutory agency tasked primarily with implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The scheme aims to improve the quality of life of Australians with permanent or significant disabilities and their caretakers.
Below, we’ll outline how the NDIS can help special-needs children in various ways. But before we dive deeper, let’s briefly discuss eligibility requirements as well as the scope of assistance the scheme extends.
Who is Eligible?
The NDIS supports kids who have a significant disability or developmental delay. Additionally, they must be legal citizens or permanent residents of Australia. Those who hold Protected Special Category Visas can also qualify.
The ABCs of an NDIS Plan
NDIS plans are written agreements between the NDIS and the participants and their guardians. They detail the goals that parents want their children to attain, the supports and services the participants receive, and the funding allotted in their plans.
An NDIS plan is customized to meet the needs and goals of each participant specifically. Accordingly, one efficient way to ensure that the plan is intricately tailored to suit a child’s distinct needs is to work with a support coordinator.
A support coordinator provides guardians with additional assistance in finding and selecting supports. In addition, they handle the preparation for plan reviews, making the process much simpler and more accessible for participants. The great news is special-needs children may be granted funding for support coordination or plan management if deemed vital and reasonable.
How the NDIS Can Help Children With Disability
It’s vital to note that the NDIS only funds necessary supports related to the child’s disability. In line with this, for support to be considered essential, it must foster independence or optimize the participant’s health. Supports that help special-needs children partake in social activities are also included.
Health
One of the main objectives of the NDIS is to protect the health and well-being of special-needs children. Therefore, it covers the costs of pediatrician visits and other medically-related expenses.
Community
As previously mentioned, supports that encourage social involvement are viewed as necessary. Hence, the NDIS can provide financial help to allow a child with a disability to participate in community activities.
Informal
Informal support pertains to the child’s care provided by the parent or other family caregivers. The NDIS can allocate funding for respite care services if the child’s guardian needs short-term relief from caregiving.
Education
The NDIS also extends financial support for the participant’s educational needs. These may include the employment of a teaching aide, enrollment to a special needs school, or purchase of specialized educational materials.
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Needs-based
The specific condition of a special-needs child may also call for extra support. For instance, if the participant’s disability affects mobility, the NDIS plan can include transportation. Moreover, some may need specific assistive technology devices and adaptive tools.
The Takeaway
NDIS enables children with special needs to reach their individual goals and live the life they deserve. As such, guardians of children with disabilities must make sure that their NDIS plans sufficiently cover the assistance and services they need, and they can do this with the help of a support coordinator.
Children develop at their own pace, and each learns and refines their skills differently. That is why different age groups are established to indicate those skills that children typically acquire in socioemotional, language/speech, cognitive (learning and understanding), and physical/motor development.
If the child’s skills consistently lag what is expected for his age, there is likely a delay. Some delays may be brief, and early intervention may improve a child’s ability to learn new skills. Others, however, may be signs of a developmental disability or another area that is usually diagnosed later in life. Some disabilities are determined at birth, while others may be identified only later in development.
5 Ways NDIS Can Help Special Needs Children 2022
If you think your child may have a disability, health problem, or mental disorder, you should see a doctor. Trust your gut; no one knows your child better than you!
More than 10 percent of children under the age of 5 have a disability or special need that may affect their ability to play and learn in California.
Early intervention therapies and services designed to address each area of development (speech and language therapy, behavioral therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and academic/cognitive support services) are most effective if started before the child turns three years old.
If your child is under three years old, consult your local resource/referral agency to help you assess the case and obtain the services you need. If your child is three years old or older, your local public school will be able to evaluate your case and help you get the services you need.
What should you observe at each age? See the page developmental Milestones.
Pro Tip: If you’re concerned about your child’s development, you should consult your pediatrician, as they can help you understand what’s normal at each age and determine if there may be any delays or disabilities
Advice from the specialists
Regardless of your child’s special needs, they must have as many experiences as possible and be included in activities with other children. Various investigations reveal that the more time children with special needs spend accompanied by children of the same age and with normal development, the more and better results are obtained. So please don’t be shy about taking your child out into public spaces or including them in activities with other kids of their age. Children learn from each other!
5 Ways NDIS Can Help Special Needs Children
