If your little one has a disability or learning delay, it is important to get help early.  Early intervention can help improve the development of children with disability and increase their chances for success at school and later life. Now, for the first time, there is a nationally-consistent approach to supporting children with developmental delay or disability with the establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Early Childhood Early Intervention (NDIS ECEI) approach. 

What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new system that provides individualised disability support funding that focusses on the needs and choices of people with disability. The NDIS supports people with a permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities. The funding provided can help people with disability access supports to achieve goals in many aspects of their life, including independence, education, and health and wellbeing.

How can the NDIS support my child?

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which manages the NDIS, has worked with a range of leading Australian early childhood intervention practitioners and researchers to design an Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach to support children with disability or learning delay. The ECEI approach is family-centred and will help identify the type and level of early intervention support each child needs to achieve their best outcomes.

What is the NDIS ECEI approach?

The NDIS ECEI approach will help all children with developmental delay or disability, and their families, to achieve better long-term outcomes through support services in their local community, regardless of diagnosis.

The NDIA will identify experienced early childhood intervention service providers to work with it as ‘access partners’ to ensure the NDIS supports all children as early as possible. The access partner will meet with families of children with disability or learning delay to discuss their needs and determine appropriate supports, including information, emotional support and specialised early intervention supports.

Each child will be supported in a range of mainstream settings, such as preschool, and play group, to help them to learn and develop positive social relationships. Supports will be delivered through a family-centred approach, which builds on family and carer strengths to help improve the child’s development and overall quality of life.

A child who requires more intensive early intervention support services will get a plan of supports and families will be able to choose the providers to best meet their child’s and their own needs.

Can I access the NDIS for my child?

Your child will need to meet certain requirements to access the NDIS. If you would like to check if your child is eligible for the NDIS, complete the NDIS Access Checklist.

For more information, visit the NDIS website