National Autism Strategy - What you need to know
The very first National Autism Strategy was published recently. Why is this strategy so important?
The National Autism Strategy is a plan made by the Australian Government, to improve the quality of life for all Autistic Australians today and into the future. It also helps our wider community e.g. people in schools, workplaces, and the community understand autism better.
What does it mean for Autistic people?
According to the Department of Social Services, 37 per cent of all NDIS participants have autism listed as a primary diagnosis — the highest proportion of any disability.
The strategy relates to both NDIS participants and the wider autistic community. In 2022, according to the ABS, there are 290,900 autistic Australians.
This strategy is about making sure ALL Autistic people have the same chances of living a good life as everyone else. It will:
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Help Autistic people get the services and supports they need, like healthcare and education.
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Make sure they can find jobs and have fair opportunities.
- Create greater community awareness and understanding about autism.
Key focus of this strategy
The strategy has four main areas:
- Social Inclusion: Helping Autistic people feel welcome in the community. This means creating accessible, low-sensory public spaces where they feel safe and can connect with others.
- Economic Inclusion: Supporting Autistic people to find and keep jobs. Employers will learn how to make workplaces more friendly and fair for Autistic workers.
- Diagnosis, Services, and Supports: Making it easier and quicker to get an autism diagnosis. It also aims to provide better services, especially for those in rural areas.
- Health and Mental Health: Making sure Autistic people can access high quality healthcare, including meeting their mental health needs.
10 important things about the National Autism Strategy:
- It’s for everyone: The strategy is designed to support all Autistic people, no matter their age, gender, or background.
- Focus on inclusion: Part of the plan is to help Autistic people feel that they belong. $19.9 million will be invested over 4 years to deliver a peer support program.
- Jobs and opportunities: Helping Autistic people find and keep meaningful work is a big part of the plan. The Australian Government will invest up to $915,000 over 2 years to improve employment opportunities and supports for Autistic people in the workplace.
- Better healthcare: The strategy will improve access to doctors and mental health support for Autistic people.
- Early diagnosis: Making autism diagnosis quicker and easier is a priority. The Government will spend $455,000 over 1 year to deliver pre- and post-diagnosis resources to support Autistic people and their families.
- Support for schools: Teachers will receive better training to help Autistic students succeed.
- Rural support: More services will be made available in rural and remote areas.
- Community education: The strategy will invest in educating the public to better understand and accept Autistic people.
- Focus on safety: There will be greater focus on reducing bullying, violence, and discrimination against Autistic people in school, college and workplaces.
- Action plans: Specific steps will be taken over the years to make sure these goals are achieved. The first Action Plan (2025-2026) will focus on the four strategy areas: training teachers, healthcare workers, and employers, making diagnosis quicker and more affordable, making it easier to find and keep a job or start a business, and promoting greater community awareness.
What's missing from the strategy?
The National Autism Strategy is a good start, but it does not mention Foundational Supports. This is a new program to help people with disabilities who do not qualify for the NDIS.
Foundational Supports are important and critical. They provide:
- General Supports – Information, advice, peer support, and skills to help people with disabilities and their families live better lives.
- Targeted Supports – Extra help for people who need support but do not qualify for the NDIS.
For example, the lack of funding for life-saving “learn to swim” initiatives, such as drowning prevention, is a big concern. Studies show that drowning is the leading cause of death for autistic children. They are 160 times more likely to drown than other children. But there is no funding in the plan to help prevent this as part of Foundational Supports and many others.
Other key elements missing from the strategy are details on how the State government and Federal Governments will work together, as well as a robust legal framework that underpins the strategy.
What's next? How we are supporting autistic people
The Strategy is a good first step, but we know that real change happens when people get the support they need in their daily lives. We understand that small things can make a massive difference.
That’s why we are already helping autistic people and their families every day. At MyCareSpace, since our inception eight years ago, we have connected over 90,000 Australians and their families, to quality services and between 60- 75% of them are autistic. We understand how important it is to find the right services.
We will continue to advocate for the autistic community and work with governments, service providers, families and mainstream supports so autistic people will have the same life outcomes as everyone else.
The MyCareSpace Team has also been working with the Australian Government, Department of Social Services to make social activities more accessible to the autistic community. Since the launch of The A List over three years ago, it has offered over 200 resources to help young people build their social skills, as well as resources for parents and blogs written by neurodiverse individuals.
It has a searchable, curated directory of over 700 active autism friendly social activities, available nationwide and has helped over 85,000 people find social options.
As part of our new Create Space initiative, we are teaming up with the Australian Government and iconic arts venues like Brisbane Powerhouse Museum, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Melbourne Museum and Sydney Dance Company create autism friendly events and use the arts as a catalyst for social change. Social inclusion is a key part of the strategy. We are creating more awareness and more opportunities than ever before for our autistic community. This is something we have always been passionate about, not just now because there is a National Autism Strategy.
Plan Hero is here to help too—it’s a Plan Management service of experts with lived experiences. Plan Hero pride themselves on supporting autistic families.
Source: Department of Social Services, National Disability Insurance Agency, Autism Swim
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