u/Constance_5555

My six year old daughter has just been diagnosed with Level 2 and Level 3 Autism. I know the Federal Government has announced the removal of children with ‘mild to moderate’ Autism from the NDIS. But given the Level 2/3 diagnosis I am still going to apply.
As a first step, I emailed the Local Area Coordinator for the NDIS today - no response. I rang them to confirm they had received my email. The guy who answered the phone had no idea what he was doing, couldn’t grasp the concept that I had sent an email, couldn’t find it, didn’t even know how to look. He spoke really slowly dragging everything out. I’m a working single parent and carer who is always thinly stretched and short of time. Can I just put in an NDIS application without the LAC? I just had a terrible vision of potential incompetence and endless time-wasting by the LAC. Can I just do it myself?

Hi everyone, my six year old daughter finally received her diagnosis recently (it took four years). She’s been diagnosed Level 2 for social communication and interaction, and Level 3 for restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. She is extremely rigid and departures from routines cause big meltdowns. Academically, however, she appears to be fine so far. Likely gifted at maths and at the same level as her peers in other areas like learning to read. I’m hoping to hear whether there are other parents out there who have a Level three child who is ok academically. Is this quite a usual thing? I’m right at the start of trying to understand these things, and don’t know any other parents of autistic children yet.

Hi everyone, my six year old daughter has finally got her diagnosis. She’s level 2 for social communication, and level 3 for restricted and repetitive behaviours.
We live in Australia and she goes to a government public school. Can Australian parents please tell me what kind of support their autistic kids get at school?
I have a meeting with school about support, and about how the school will apply to the government for funding to help my daughter.
My daughter is at the same level academically as her peers, but struggles with social communication and is very rigid, routine-driven and anxious.
What do I need to know going into this meeting? Many thanks!

My just turned 6, Level 2 daughter is in a regular class, she’s the only autistic kid in the class. Next week there is a school excursion planned to go to the theatre to see a play of Beauty and the Beast. The class will go on a bus with the teacher. There’s not going to be any additional support for my daughter, and it’s ‘students and staff only’.
My daughter is very rigid and routine driven, I can foresee that this departure from the normal school day, to go on a bus to see a (potentially overwhelming) play in a large dark theatre, without individual support, may be very distressing for her.
I raised it with the school and I can tell that they think I’m just being difficult and that she will be ‘fine’. But people often say to me that she will be ‘fine’ and then she isn’t (shutdowns and massive screaming meltdowns with thrashing and hitting happen several times a week).
So what to do? I’m not allowed to go on this excursion as a volunteer, which is how we’ve managed previous excursions. Should she just come home when they leave for the theatre? Or should she be made to go? I asked her and she said she definitely did not want to go.