This chapter explores how Australia has responded to the growing prevalence of autism through a comprehensive and evolving policy framework. It traces the progression from early advocacy and the legal recognition of autism as a disability to the introduction of inclusive education standards and the establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The chapter examines the shift towards a needs-based model, balancing universal disability rights with targeted interventions such as income support for carers and individualised funding through the NDIS. It also reviews diagnostic practices guided by national standards, the relationship between medical diagnosis and functional assessments, and their implications for access to supports. Finally, the chapter considers the challenges of promoting inclusion in mainstream education, managing rising demand for disability services, and ensuring fiscal sustainability. It underscores the importance of cross-sector collaboration and a people‑centred approach to address the diverse needs within the autism community.
Policy Responses to Rising Autism Diagnoses in Childhood
Abstract
Australia’s autism policy: Building a comprehensive support system
Autism-related disability policies in Australia have progressed significantly, from early advocacy in the 1960s to legal recognition in 1992, followed by the introduction of inclusive education standards in 2005. Since 2025, Australia also has a National Autism Strategy.
About 4.3% of 5‑14‑yer-old children in Australia report having ASD. Co-morbidities are common, especially learning difficulties, though 9% of individuals with ASD report no other disabilities.
Australia’s National Guideline for autism assessment and diagnosis sets the best-practice standard for clinicians. The process involves a Comprehensive Needs Assessment and a Diagnostic Evaluation, conducted by a single qualified practitioner or a multi-disciplinary team. While the guideline is not mandatory, it is widely used in both public and private sectors.
Despite rising ASD diagnosis rates among children and the fact that a diagnosis automatically qualifies parents for a Carer Allowance, the growth in uptake of both Carer Allowance and Carer Payment has been modest – with 657 275 and 314 320 recipients, respectively, in June 2024 – as both claims and exits from Carer Allowance and Carer Payment have increased.
In 2025, 37% of Carer Allowances and 30% of Carer Payments were received for a person with a “Psychological or Psychiatric” condition (including ASD). Among children needing care, the respective proportions were 66% and 59%.
While uptake of Carer Allowances appears only modestly influenced by rising ASD diagnoses, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been much more directly affected. Among all 740 000 NDIS participants in 2025, those with ASD represented 40% in 2025, up from 34% in 2022. Children aged 0‑18 with ASD represent approximately 30% of all NDIS participants.
Australians with disability, including those with autism, can access the NDIS if they meet the requirements set out in the NDIS Act of 2013, including age, residency, and disability or early intervention requirements. To meet the disability criteria, the person must have an impairment that is likely to be permanent and causing a substantial reduction in functioning capacity. Early intervention supports can also be provided for eligible people with likely permanent impairment or children younger than six with developmental delay, where the supports are likely to benefit the person and reduce the impact of their impairment. While medical diagnoses can facilitate access to the NDIS, they are not strictly required.
Compared to the broader population of persons with disability, children with autism are significantly more likely to attend special education settings. While 66% of all children with disability are enrolled in mainstream classes, this share falls to 50% for children with ASD.
Australia has developed a comprehensive policy framework for children and adults with autism over the last decades, beginning with the formal recognition of autism as a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act in 1992. Parent-led organisations have played a crucial role in shaping support systems. Over time, government initiatives such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and inclusive education reforms have shifted support toward a needs-based model.
The main forms of government support for children and families with autism include the Carer Allowance, the Carer Payment, and the NDIS. Uptake of both the Carer Allowance and the Carer Payment has grown only modestly in recent years, despite rising autism diagnosis rates among children. By contrast, participation in the NDIS has expanded rapidly, reflecting its more comprehensive and individualised approach to support. In education, policies have increasingly promoted inclusion, leading to a gradual shift away from specialised schools toward mainstream schooling with tailored supports for students with SEN. Most recently, the release of the National Autism Strategy 2025‑2031 marks a co‑ordinated effort to address the diverse and evolving needs of people with autism living in Australia across all life stages.
Additionally, an important distinction is made in Australia between individuals with autism who have a disability, and those who have autism but do not view themselves as having a disability. The second group mostly involves people with low support needs who need minimal or no adjustments to live independently and successfully integrate into education and the labour market. According to anecdotal evidence, this division is also visible in the autism community in which these two subgroups do not necessarily always share the same perspectives and ideas, as well as demonstrate different abilities to advocate for themselves. It is also relevant to highlight the overlap between autism and intellectual disability (ID). This distinction is important, as autism without ID presents differently to autism with co-morbid ID and has a different support needs profile – including among people who identify as having disability.
This case study examines the evolution and impact of autism-related policies in Australia, with particular attention to children and different support available to families.
Throughout this report, the OECD predominantly uses the terms “children with ASD/with autism” (see the Note on language at the beginning of the report). The authors acknowledge, however, that the Australian Government adopts identity-first language (“autistic children”), reflecting feedback gathered through its national consultation process for developing the National Autism Strategy.
Autism first started to gain widespread recognition in Australia with the foundation of its first autism organisations in the 1960s. Autism SA (Autistic Children’s Association) was founded in 1964 in South Australia, by people with autism and their families, with the aim of ensuring access to information, education and support for individuals with autism (Autism SA, n.d.[1]). Similar parent-led groups followed, such as Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect, founded in 1967 under the name Autistic Children’s Association of New South Wales), focussing on providing autism-specific educational programmes (Aspect, 2025[2]); and Amaze (previously Victorian Autistic Children’s and Adult’s Association, founded in 1976) created with the aim of providing information and supporting individuals with ASD and their families. By the 1970s, these associations managed to create tangible support for children with autism and their families, notably by establishing the first autism-specific schools in Australia (Autism SA, 2025[3]).
In 1992, autism became a legally recognised disability in Australia, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Act No. 135, 1992). The Act defines disability as relating to a person who suffers from a physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, and/or learning disability, physical disfigurement, and/or disease‑causing organisms in the body. Due to its neurological basis and impact on various other aspects of functioning, autism falls under this broad definition of disability (Centre Disability Support, 2024[4]).
In the 1990s, special education schools started closing in favour of more inclusive education options, notably Autism SA’s Clinic School was closed in 1991 (Autism SA, 2025[3]). In 2005, the Disability Standards for Education 2005 entered into force. The standards – under the purview of the Disability Discrimination Act – aim to ensure that “children with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability” (Australian Government, 2025[5]). The standards are reviewed every five years and were under review at the time of writing. The standards require that education providers make reasonable adjustments in the curriculum, teaching methods, and assessment procedures to accommodate the needs of students with disability, including students with autism (ibid.). The introduction of the standards marks a move in Australia towards more inclusive education practices, promoting the integration of students with ASD into mainstream classrooms (Centre Disability Support, 2024[4]).
In 2013, Australia introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme through the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Act No. 20, 2013). Administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the NDIS aims to provide persons with a permanent and significant disability with individualised support, as well as provide support for their families and carers. The aim of the scheme is to help individuals with disability “to be more independent and engage socially and economically” (NDIA, 2022[6]). A person with ASD is eligible for the NDIS if their impairment(s) have a substantial impact on their functional capacity (Autism Awareness Australia, 2024[7]). Young children under the age of 6 with developmental delay (as defined by the NDIS Act 2013) and/or children under the age of 9 with disability, including autism, can access the “Early childhood approach” (NDIA, 2024[8]).
In August 2025, the Australian Government announced a new scheme for children with developmental delays and autism, called “Thriving Kids” that will start from 1 October 2026. The Australian Government announced a contribution of AUD 2 billion over five years (equal to about 4% of its spending on disability services in 2023/24, see Figure 5.10). The new programme will be designed to divert children with developmental delay and disability with low to moderate support needs, away from the NDIS. The new model is meant to relieve pressure on the NDIS with an increasing number of individuals with developmental disorders applying for NDIS funding in recent years (The Guardian, 2025[9]; Australian Government, 2025[10]).
As of 2025, Australia has its first National Autism Strategy. Released by the Australian Government in January 2025, the National Autism Strategy 2025‑2031 aims to provide a national approach to services and supports for people with autism and their families. The strategy was developed through a co-design process involving the autism community, their families and carers. The strategy is a comprehensive seven‑year framework aiming to improve outcomes for individuals with autism and focussing on four key outcome areas: 1) social inclusion; 2) economic inclusion; 3) improving diagnosis, services and support; and 4) health and mental health (addressed through the National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People 2025‑2035) (Australian Government, 2025[11]).
As established in the main part of the report, it is very challenging to establish accurate estimates of the prevalence of autism and to compare rates across countries and over time. In Australia, autism prevalence is estimated through a population survey. The Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) collects data on self-reported autism – by asking respondents whether they have a long-term health condition lasting for six months or more, autism being one of the conditions respondents can report – and estimates the rate of persons with autism in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2024[12]). Other countries with available data on estimated prevalence of autism in the population include Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and the United States. Among these countries, Australia has the second highest estimated prevalence of autism among children over time, preceded only by the Netherlands (Figure 2.1). In 2022, according to data from the SDAC, the average share of people with autism out of the overall population was 1.1% which is in line with global estimates. When looking at data by sex and age groups, much higher self-reported rates emerge for younger people and especially for boys and young men. In 2022, the proportion of individuals reporting ASD was 6.1% for boys aged 5‑14 years and 4% for young men aged 15‑24 years (Figure 5.1)
Share of individuals with autism by age and sex, 2022
ASD: autism spectrum disorder.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024[13]), Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers: Autism in Australia, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/autism-australia-2022#data-downloads.
Co-morbidities and co‑occurring disabilities are common with autism, also in Australia. According to the latest SDAC data, in 2022 the most common co-morbidity for individuals with autism was “slow at learning or understanding”, affecting over 70% of individuals self-reporting with autism. This was followed by social/behavioural difficulties (over 60%) and mental illness (over 50%) (Figure 5.2). Note that these co‑occurring conditions – such as slow at learning, social/behavioural difficulties, mental illness, etc. – are defined as “co-morbidities” in SDAC. As mentioned before, not all individuals with autism consider themselves to have a disability. According to data from SDAC, in Australia in 2022 only 9% of individuals with self-reported autism did not identify as having a disability (Figure 5.2).
Share of disabilities among persons with autism, by type of disability, 2022
Note: Conditions on the x-axis are defined as “type of disability” in the data.
*High margin of error and should be used with caution.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024[13]), Autism in Australia, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/autism-australia-2022#data-downloads.
Accurate and consistent diagnosis of autism is essential for ensuring access to appropriate supports and services. In Australia, this process is guided by the National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism, which sets out best-practice recommendations for clinicians across public and private settings. While the guideline is not mandatory, it provides a unified framework aligned with international standards and is widely regarded as the industry benchmark. Meeting strict diagnostic requirements is also necessary for eligibility under List A of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which currently applies additional criteria beyond those outlined in the guideline.
A diagnosis can be obtained in both the public and the private sector, with high reliability of the diagnosis regardless of where it is made and with no reported variability in reliability of the diagnosis between the two settings. High reliability of private diagnoses may be due to the existence of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, a federal scheme to publicly fund certain private medical services, including private diagnosis in primary care. Nevertheless, barriers to diagnosis persist, notably due to a shortage of medical and allied health professionals – including paediatricians, psychiatrists and psychologists – to co‑ordinate diagnosis and complete assessments.
The National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia provides the industry standard for diagnosis and assessment
The diagnosis of autism in Australia follows the National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia developed by Autism CRC and approved by the Australian Government. Published originally in 2018 and revised in 2023 by Goodall et al., the guideline represents the first unified approach to the assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia. The guideline and subsequent recommendations reflect evidence from research, clinical practice, as well as including views and preferences of the autism community in Australia (Autism CRC, 2023[14]). Although not compulsory, the recommendations set out in the guideline serve as best practice for practitioners involved in the diagnosis and assessment of autism in Australia.
The guideline follows international assessment standards set out in the latest edition of the DSM (DSM‑5‑TR, 2022) and the ICD (ICD‑11, 2019). According to the guideline, the process for assessment and diagnosis for autism in Australia should include the following steps (Goodall et al., 2023[15]):
Upon an individual seeking advice from a health practitioner, the professional (typically a GP) makes a referral within the assessment and diagnostic process.
The process then has two main steps: the “Comprehensive Needs Assessment” and the “Diagnostic Evaluation” (ibid.) (Figure 5.3):
During the “Comprehensive Needs Assessment”, the diagnosing professional seeks to understand all relevant aspects of the person’s characteristic, functioning, environment and context, strengths and support needs. The assessment has two main components: the “Assessment of Functioning” and the “Medical Evaluation”.
“Assessment of Functioning” contributes to the identification of characteristics that may be relevant for the autism diagnosis or other related conditions. It includes taking a case history and using interview, observations, and assessment tools to examine functioning in relevant domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by the World Health Organization.
“Medical Evaluation” typically includes taking a case history, conducting a general physical examination and performing further clinical assessments, as needed.
The second part is the “Diagnostic Evaluation”, focussing on whether the individual meets the diagnostic criteria for a clinical diagnosis of autism, and/or other related conditions. The latest DSM and ICD criteria should be used and differential diagnosis should be made if needed. In line with the DSM‑5 (APA, 2013[16]), the guideline also highlights that although standardised diagnostic instruments (e.g. ADOS or ADI-R) may be used to assist the diagnostic process, these do not replace a full autism assessment.
The guideline proposes two ways to conduct the assessment: either by one professional (“Lead Practitioner Diagnostic Evaluation”), or through a multi-disciplinary team evaluation (“Consensus Team Diagnostic Evaluation”) (Figure 5.3). The professionals involved in the evaluation are the following (Goodall et al., 2023[15]):
the “Lead Practitioner Diagnostic Evaluation” can be conducted by one or more relevant practitioners. Relevant practitioners include:
paediatrician, psychiatrist, neurologist;
GP with at least six years of experience in the assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions;
psychologist specialised in clinical psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and/or educational/developmental psychology.
the “Consensus Team Diagnostic Evaluation” should include at least one additional practitioner in addition to what’s been defined under lead practitioner. It is recommended to refer to a team in more complex cases. The additional practitioner(s) should be one or several of the following:
paediatrician, psychiatrist, neurologist;
GP with at least six years of experience in the assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions;
psychologist specialised in clinical psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and/or educational/developmental psychology;
occupational therapist;
speech pathologist;
registered nurse, which can be: a nurse practitioner, mental health nurse practitioner, or a registered nurse with relevant experience as a clinical nurse specialist/consultant;
social worker.
Source: Based on Goodall et al. (2023[15]), National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia, Figure 2.3, https://www.autismcrc.com.au/best-practice/assessment-and-diagnosis.
The national guideline sets out recommendations for both public and private settings. According to anecdotal evidence, it is however more common in public hospitals to do multi-disciplinary assessments. Persons with autism and their families usually turn to the public sector for diagnosis and assessment, unless the waiting list is too long. Then, if they can afford it, they might turn to the private sector, where a single practitioner can also diagnose autism (corresponding to the “Lead Practitioner Diagnostic Evaluation” approach in the guideline). Nevertheless, whether the diagnosis and assessment are made in the public or private sphere, the diagnosis is recognised and valid in the whole country. Since most private practitioners also work in the public sphere and vice versa, the national guideline remains the industry standard in both spheres for diagnosis and assessment of autism.
The NDIS has strict diagnosis and assessment requirements
Access to NDIS is mainly based on an applicant’s impairment and functional capacity and not solely on medical diagnosis. Under the National Disability Insurance Act (NDIS Act), applicants must meet age, residency, and disability or early intervention requirements. A diagnosis is not legally required to access the scheme. However, historically the NDIS introduced access lists (List A and List B) as a transition mechanism to expedite consideration for some cohorts.
For example, autism diagnosed by a specialist multi-disciplinary team, paediatrician, psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist using DSM‑5 criteria has often been used to support access decisions. DSM‑5 categorises autism into three levels: Level 1 (requiring support), Level 2 (requiring substantial support), and Level 3 (requiring very substantial support). Those diagnosed with Level 2 or 3 autism have typically qualified more easily under List A, while Level 1 autism (List B) requires evidence of substantially reduced functional capacity in one or more areas – such as communication, social interaction, learning, mobility, self-care, or self-management – or meeting early intervention criteria (NDIS, 2024[17]). A person can still meet access criteria if they do not have a condition on List A or B if they have a permanent disability with substantially reduced functional capacity and are likely to require NDIS supports for life.
Following a 2023 review of the NDIS Working together to deliver the NDIS, the diagnosis and assessment requirements are currently being revised. The report recommended removing automatic access to the scheme using the access lists as it has led to a focus on medical diagnosis rather than function or need (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2023[18]). Furthermore, according to interviews conducted with policymakers, the distinction between List A and List B will change significantly and might even disappear in the future. Future access criteria are expected to place greater emphasis on needs-based assessment and functional impairments rather than diagnosis.
Australia provides two primary and two supplementary allowances to parents and carers of children with disability or a medical condition, including children with ASD: the Carer Allowance, Carer Payment, Child Disability Assistance Payment, and Carer Supplement. All four are administered by Services Australia; the two primary allowances have child (care receiver aged under 16 years) and adult (care receiver aged 16 years and over) streams of payment (see Table A C.1 for details). The Carer Allowance is a fixed fortnightly income supplement of AUD 159.3 (per month approximately 4% of average monthly wage), unaffected by the family’s financial situation unless annual income exceeds AUD 250 000, in which case entitlement is withdrawn. By contrast, the Carer Payment is strictly means-tested. It provides a maximum fortnightly payment of AUD 1 149 (per month about 28% of average monthly wage) for a single carer or AUD 1 732.2 (per month approximately 43% of average monthly wage) for a couple providing full-time care (according to March 2025 rates). This payment is gradually reduced once adjusted family net income surpasses a defined threshold, currently AUD 380 per fortnight for a partnered carer. In addition, parents receiving either the Carer Allowance or Carer Payment as of 1 July 2025 qualify for the Carer Supplement, an annual lump-sum payment of AUD 600. Similarly, recipients of the Carer Allowance on 1 July 2025 are eligible for the Child Disability Assistance Payment, which amounts to AUD 1 000 annually. Provided that eligibility conditions are met, parents of a child with disability can receive all four allowances simultaneously (Services Australia, 2025[19]; 2025[20]; 2025[21]).
Australia’s total expenditure on these allowances for the 2024‑2025 financial year was (Australian Government - Department of Social Services, 2025[22]):
AUD 7 925.6 million on the Carer Payment (includes children and adults)
AUD 848.3 million on the Carer Allowance (children only)
AUD 649.9 million on the Carer Supplement
AUD 214.7 million on the Child Disability Assistance Payment
Both medical diagnosis and assessed care needs shape eligibility for allowances
While Carer Allowance and Carer Payment require a formal medical diagnosis of the child’s impairment – in this case, ASD – they differ slightly in their additional eligibility criteria. Qualification for both Carer Payment and Carer Allowance is based on the type and level of care an individual requires and is provided by their carer. To access the allowances, the care needs of the individual need to meet a qualifying score under the Adult Disability Assessment Tool for adults 16 years and over, or the Disability Care Load (Child) Assessment (DCLA) for children under 16 years of age (Australian Government, 2025[23]).
To qualify for the Carer Allowance for children, eligibility is first assessed against the List of Recognised Disabilities. The List forms part of the Disability Care Load Assessment (Child) Determination (DCLAD) and contains certain disabilities and medical conditions considered to consistently require a level of care significant enough to qualify the parent or carer for Carer Allowance (child) automatically. ASD features on this List (Australian Government - Department of Social Services, 2025[24]).
Where a condition is not on the List, eligibility for Carer Allowance further depends on the child demonstrating “intense” care needs, meaning the carer must provide “daily care and attention” to the child due to the child’s condition. The child’s care needs are assessed through the Disability Care Load Assessment (Child) (DCLA). The DCLA is based on the Assessment of Care Load (ACL), completed by the child’s carer, and a Medical Report completed by the treating health professional of the child. The ACL covers the following three domains: behaviour, functional abilities, and special care needs. It asks parents to report on daily care tasks and support needs across areas including communication and language, mobility and transfers, self-care (feeding, dressing, toileting), supervision and safety, behaviour and emotional regulation, and specialised medical or nursing needs. The questionnaire allocates scores to each question. Some scores reflect comparisons between the child’s functioning and the developmental expectations for a child of the same age without an impairment; others are drawn from other standardised functional assessments. The ACL questionnaire and Medical Report are reviewed separately, and minimum thresholds must be met for both, in order to generate an overall qualifying DCLA rating (Australian Government, 2025[23]). Notably, eligibility is typically determined without an in-person assessment and there are no periodic reassessments for the Carer Allowance. A review may, however, be triggered if the child’s condition or care situation changes.
The Carer Payment is an income support payment available to carers who are unable to support themselves through paid employment due to the constant care they provide. To qualify for this benefit, the child must have a formal medical diagnosis and require constant care, defined as care provided for a substantial portion of the day, roughly equivalent to a standard working day. Carers may engage in paid or self-employed work for up to 100 hours per four‑week period without affecting eligibility. The constant care requirement is an additional, non-clinical criterion unique to the Carer Payment (Services Australia, 2025[25]). The child’s care needs, however, are assessed through the same DCLA framework used for the Carer Allowance: the carer completes the ACL questionnaire, while the child’s treating health professional completes the corresponding Medical Report.
The prevalence of ASD diagnoses among the entire population in Australia rose markedly, from 700 per 100 000 people in 2015 to 1 100 per 100 000 in 2022 – an increase of 57% (Figure 1.1). Over a comparable period (2015‑2024), however, overall growth in allowance uptake has been far more modest. The number of all Carer Allowance recipients (not only those carers of a child with ASD) rose by only 6.9%, while Carer Payment recipients increased by 23% (Figure 5.4). The rise in ASD diagnoses in Australia does not appear to directly translate into higher demand for disability-related allowances. This suggests that the allowance system remains relatively stable and resilient to shifts in diagnosis rates, reflecting the fact that – at least for the Carer Payment – a diagnosis alone is not sufficient to meet eligibility criteria. The relatively modest increase in allowance uptake, compared to the significant rise in ASD diagnoses, might also suggest that some of the observed increase in ASD diagnoses stems from diagnostic substitution, with conditions that might previously have been classified differently now being identified as ASD. While data disaggregated by ASD are not available, it cannot be ruled out that the rise in ASD diagnoses has been a driver of the increase in allowance recipients. According to anecdotal evidence, ASD is the top medical condition for which a carer qualifies for both Carer Allowance (child) and Carer Payment (child). However, the only disaggregated data available is by the care recipient’s broader medical condition (Figure 5.5 and Figure 5.6). In Figure 5.6, ASD is covered under the “Psychological / Psychiatric” category.
Recipients of different disability allowances in Australia and number of children with autism, 2015‑2024
Note: Data includes all allowance recipients; information specific to carers of children with ASD is not available. “Children with autism” is the total number of children with autism (2015, 2018, and 2022) in Australia; it is an OECD estimation based on data from SDAC.
Source: Australian Government (2025[26]), Report on Government Services 2025, https://www.pc.gov.au/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2025/data-downloads.
Distribution of care receivers by top five medical conditions among Carer Allowance and Carer Payment recipients, Australia, March 2017 and 2025
Note: Data includes all allowance recipients, i.e. not only carers of children.
Source: Australian Government (2025[27]), DSS Benefit and Payment Recipient Demographics – quarterly data, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/dss-payment-demographic-data.
In 2025, the most common medical condition of care recipients whose carers receive either the Carer Allowance or Carer Payment is “Psychological / Psychiatric”, accounting for 37% and 30% of care receivers, respectively. Carer Payment recipients, however, are more likely than Carer Allowance recipients to care for someone with “Musculo-Skeletal & Connective Tissue” conditions, which is consistent with the benefit’s requirement that carers provide constant daily care, roughly equivalent to a full working day. The distribution of medical conditions among care recipients was largely similar in 2017 and 2025. The primary changes observed by 2025 are a small drop in the “Musculo-Skeletal & Connective Tissue” condition, and an increase in the share of care recipients classified with a “Psychological / Psychiatric” condition. In 2017, only 29% (37% in 2025) of care recipients whose carers received the Carer Allowance had a “Psychological / Psychiatric” condition and only 25% (30% in 2025) of care recipients whose carers received the Carer Payment belonged to that medical category. Correspondingly, the shares in the other four medical condition categories either declined or remained roughly unchanged between 2017 and 2025.
ASD is covered by the “Psychological / Psychiatric” medical category. The growing number of ASD diagnoses has likely contributed to the expanding share of care recipients recorded within this medical condition category. The number of children in this condition category is particularly notable – they represent a huge share both relative to all care receivers in this category, children and adults combined, and within the population of all children receiving care. This in turn supports the hypothesis that the rise in ASD diagnoses, especially among children, has played a role in the recent, albeit moderate, increase in allowances uptake.
As of March 2025 (Figure 5.6):
141 160 children with a psychological / psychiatric condition qualified a carer to receive the Carer Allowance, out of a total of 211 965 children whose carers received this allowance.
28 980 children with a psychological / psychiatric condition qualified a carer to receive the Carer Payment, out of 48 560 children whose carers received this payment.
Care recipients by benefit type and medical condition, Australia, March 2025
Note: “All children” includes all children of all medical conditions (under 16 years of age); “Children with Psychological / Psychiatric condition” includes only children (under 16 years of age) that have said medical condition; “Total with Psychological / Psychiatric condition” includes all care receivers (children and adults) that have said medical condition.
Source: Australian Government (2025[27]), DSS Benefit and Payment Recipient Demographics – quarterly data, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/dss-payment-demographic-data.
Australia’s Carer Payment explicitly requires carers to provide constant daily supervision or care to the person with a disability, offering income support to those who cannot participate in the labour market or have had to drastically reduce their working hours due to their care responsibilities (Services Australia, 2025[25]). Indeed, the share of primary carers who are not in the labour force is significantly higher than that of the general population (Figure 5.7). Likewise, the employment rate among primary carers is substantially lower than in the general population. These figures underscore that caring for a person with a disability often restricts employment opportunities and highlight the critical role of income support for this group.
While the Carer Payment provides essential financial assistance, it does not fully compensate for the lost income of a parent who previously earned, or could have earned, a full-time average monthly salary. As an alternative to reducing work hours or leaving the workforce, some parents may thus hire a caregiver for their child to maintain employment. In such cases, the parent would generally no longer qualify for the Carer Payment. However, the costs of hiring a caregiver may be partially covered by NDIS funding, for example, for a few hours per week – a full-time support worker is rarely funded in practice.
Labour force status of primary carers (aged 15‑64 years) who are caring for people aged under 65 years with a disability, Australia, 2022
Source: OECD estimates based on Australian Government (2025[26]), Report on Government Services 2025, https://www.pc.gov.au/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2025/data-downloads.
In Australia’s otherwise largely means-tested social protection system, the NDIS, which began roll out in 2013 and reached national coverage in 2016, stands out as a non-means-tested and uncapped (demand-driven) programme. This publicly funded scheme operates independently of other programmes and is specifically designed to provide individualised support to people with permanent and significant disability or those who would benefit from early intervention support, thereby addressing a key gap in Australia’s public services landscape. Administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the NDIS offers personalised funding plans tailored to each participant’s individual needs. These plans may include funding for therapies, assistive technologies, personal care, home or vehicle modifications, transport, employment-related supports, innovative capacity-building programmes, and other essential disability-related supports (NDIS, 2024[28]). The scheme’s design places emphasis on early intervention to minimise long-term disability impacts and maximise outcomes over a participant’s lifetime. The NDIS is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and state/territory governments through bilateral agreements; the Commonwealth contributes more than half of the scheme’s total funding (Parliament of Australia, 2022[29]). In recent years, governments have worked together to ensure that the NDIS remains financially sustainable and can continue to deliver for people with disability into the future. This includes agreeing on future funding arrangements that balance growth with long-term viability of the scheme.
Accessing the NDIS – the role of diagnosis and functional capacity assessments
The NDIS determines eligibility based on the impact of an impairment, not the type of diagnosis, illness, injury, or how an impairment was acquired. Australians with disability, including those with autism, can access the NDIS if they meet the requirements set out in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, including age, residency, and disability or early intervention requirements. To meet the disability criteria, the person must have an impairment that is likely to be permanent and causes a substantial reduction in functional capacity. Early intervention supports can also be provided for eligible people with likely permanent impairment or children younger than six with developmental delay, where the supports are likely to benefit the person and reduce the impact of their impairment. Evidence of a child’s developmental delay can be provided by an NDIS Early Childhood Partner, in order to access early intervention supports (see Table 5.1) (NDIS, 2024[17]). Early Childhood Partners are local organisations funded by the NDIA to deliver the NDIS Early Childhood Approach. They consist of teams of professionals with experience and clinical expertise in working with young children with developmental delays or disability and their families.
Children who do not meet the eligibility requirements for individualised supports through the NDIS, but show evidence of developmental concern, may be able to benefit from other supports delivered through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach. The Early Childhood Approach supports families who have a child with developmental delay or disability by connecting them and their child with the most appropriate supports in their area. The support offered under the Early Childhood Approach may include the provision of information, referral to mainstream services or short-term early intervention (NDIS, 2025[30]).
An applicant must demonstrate substantially reduced functional capacity due to the impact of their impairment in one of the following six areas: communicating, socializing, learning, mobility, self-care, and self-management. Information on functional capacity across these six domains is collected through an access request form, which includes a dedicated section about the applicant’s functional abilities. Applicants can either themselves complete that section in their application or have a professional, such as their general practitioner, do so. Additional evidence demonstrating reduced functional capacity should be provided, such as medical reports or other professional statements (NDIS, 2024[17]).
Such evidence may include comprehensive functional capacity assessments, typically conducted by allied health professionals or other qualified specialists, often occupational therapists, who assess the person’s functioning in various domains of daily living. In contrast to most other countries, NDIS applicants (or their legal guardians) are responsible for arranging their own capacity assessment, as the NDIA does not conduct functioning assessments in-house, nor does it rely on a single designated state agency. While a NDIS participant may decide to use their NDIS budget to cover the costs of a comprehensive assessment, applicants are often required to cover the costs out of their own pocket. An ongoing reform aims to establish an internal agency to conduct such functioning assessments.
Source NDIS (2024[17]), Applying to the NDIS, https://www.ndis.gov.au/applying-access-ndis/how-apply#applying-to-the-ndis.
In practice, however, functional capacity has not consistently influenced eligibility decisions, partially due to resource and time constraints. The NDIA has relied heavily on diagnostic labels to determine both eligibility for and the scope of NDIS funding. For instance, applicants diagnosed with ASD Level 2 or Level 3 have enjoyed easier access to the NDIS than those with ASD level 1, as only the former two are included in the NDIA access “List A: Conditions that are likely to meet the disability requirements”1 (NDIS, 2024[17]). In other words, while applicants with ASD Level 1 were typically required to demonstrate that their reduced functional capacity met a threshold to be eligible for the scheme, those with ASD Level 2 and 3 were automatically deemed eligible for NDIS funding without further assessment of their functional capacity, provided the applicant met the rest of the disability requirements. Notably, a medical diagnosis of any condition is not required to be able to access the NDIS – entering the scheme is also possible without a formal diagnosis; to access the NDIS through an access list, however, a medical diagnosis is necessary.
Recently, there has been growing momentum to clearly prioritise functioning over diagnostic categories for the purpose of eligibility. The Independent Review into the NDIS recommended establishing a more consistent and robust approach to assessing eligibility based on functional capacity and a reformed early intervention pathway. Their proposal included removal of the access lists with automatic access (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2023[18]).
Once eligibility for the NDIS is determined based on the above mentioned eligibility criteria, a local area co‑ordinator or early childhood partner of the NDIA develops a tailored NDIS plan, outlining the specific services and supports the applicant will receive funding for, such as types of therapies and their respective hours, according to the applicant’s support needs and in close, in-person collaboration with the applicant. As of 1 January 2025, new participants also receive a Notice of Impairments, which specifies the impairment categories – currently six: intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, physical, and psychosocial – under which they have met the access requirements (NDIS, 2024[17]).
NDIS participation – ASD cases are particularly frequent in young people
In June 2025, Australia’s NDIS had 739 414 active participants of which 40% (294 960 individuals) were diagnosed with ASD. Children aged 0‑18 with ASD make up a particularly large group among NDIS participants (220 590 individuals), representing approximately 30% of all NDIS participants. While 44% of all NDIS participants are assessed as having a medium level of functioning, this proportion is even higher among participants with ASD, at 59%. 22% of NDIS participants with autism reported having a high level of functioning, compared to 17% with a low level of functioning (Figure 5.8 Panels A and B). Participants with ASD who have additional co-morbidities – particularly intellectual disability – are likely to exhibit higher levels of support needs than those with ASD alone.
Three years earlier, the distribution of participants across categories looked similar, but absolute numbers were considerably lower (Figure 5.8 Panels C and D). In September 2022, Australia’s NDIS had 554 917 active participants, 34% of whom (191 251 individuals) had an ASD diagnosis. The overall number of active participants has grown by 33% over the course of those three years, while the number of participants with autism rose by 54%. In September 2022, 151 915 active NDIS participants were children with ASD aged 0‑18, accounting for 27% of all NDIS participants at the time.
The distribution of functioning levels among all participants and those with ASD in 2022 was broadly similar to 2025. 46% (44% in 2025) of all NDIS participants were assessed as having a medium level of functioning, compared to 62% (59% in 2025) of NDIS participants with ASD. By contrast, 29% of all NDIS participants were classified as having a high level of functioning, but only 18% of participants with ASD fell into this category. Finally, 25% of all participants reported a low level of functioning in September 2022, compared with 21% of those participants with ASD.
ASD: autism spectrum disorder; NDIS: national disability insurance scheme.
Note: Age groups differ slightly between 2022 and 2025: Group 1 includes ages 0‑6 and group 2 includes ages 7‑14 in 2022 while group 1 includes ages 0‑8 and group 2 includes ages 9‑14 in 2025. For some NDIS participants, functioning level data is missing.
Source: NDIS (2025[31]), Autism, https://dataresearch.ndis.gov.au/reports-and-analyses/participant-dashboards/autism.
These figures not only highlight the sharp rise in demand for NDIS supports in recent years but also underscore the growing prominence of participants with ASD – particularly children with ASD – within the scheme. Whereas in 2022, individuals with ASD made up 34% of all participants, by 2025, their share has risen to 40%.
Reform efforts currently underway in Australia will fundamentally transform this picture. Australia’s Minister for Health and Aging and Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme recently announced the establishment of a new scheme, the Thriving Kids Program, set to launch in the second half of 2026. The programme will provide support for children with developmental delay and disability with low to moderate support needs, redirecting them away from the NDIS by mid‑2027. This will most likely concern many children with ASD.
NDIS spending has risen markedly
While the number of active NDIS participants grew substantially by 33%, the increase in participants with ASD was especially pronounced, rising by 54% between September 2022 and June 2025. This surge in demand for NDIS supports has driven a sharp rise in NDIS spending: total annual payments for participants with autism climbed from AUD 5 571 million in the year ending September 2022 to AUD 9 453 million in the year ending June 2025 – a 70% increase over just three years. The NDIS was not fully rolled out across Australia until July 2020. The continuous growth in demand and public spending on NDIS supports in recent years may thus be partly explained by delays in implementation at the local level, i.e. even once the scheme had become fully available across all geographical areas, it has likely taken time for all eligible individuals to become aware of it, complete the application process, and begin receiving support.
In the 12‑month period ending September 2022, AUD 2 958.4 million were allocated to children with ASD aged 0‑18, accounting for more than half of all costs on NDIS plans for participants with ASD. By contrast, in the 12‑month period ending June 2025, AUD 4 555.6 million were allocated to children with ASD, representing almost half of the total costs for NDIS plans for participants with ASD. While total spending for children with autism increased markedly over this period, their share of overall ASD spending declined slightly.
Average costs of NDIS plans per participant also rose. In June 2025, the average annual cost of a NDIS plan per participant with ASD reached AUD 36 000 (~35.5% of average annual wage of 2024), while the costs for children with ASD under 18 were considerably lower at AUD 24 000 (~23.6% of average annual wage of 2024). Three years earlier, in September 2022, these averages were AUD 31 900 (~34.3% of average annual wage of 2022) and AUD 21 200 (~22.8% of average annual wage of 2022), respectively.
These figures highlight two important dynamics: first, the absolute level of funding for children with ASD has expanded substantially, underscoring their significant presence within the NDIS; second, the relative shift in spending patterns indicates that adults with ASD are accounting for an increasing share of total ASD expenditure, possibly reflecting both rising adult participation and greater recognition of their long-term support needs.
Although participants with ASD represented as much as 40% of all NDIS participants in June 2025, they accounted for only 20% of total annual NDIS spending, which reached AUD 46.35 billion. The contrast is even more pronounced for children with ASD, who represented around 30% of all NDIS participants but received only about 10% of total annual spending on NDIS plans.
On average, an NDIS participant received an AUD 31 130 NDIS plan over the six‑month period from July to December 2024, whereas participants with ASD received about half of that amount, averaging only AUD 16 790. In the 12 months from July 2024 to June 2025, the average annual NDIS plan for a child aged 0‑18 was AUD 22 044,2 while the average for children with ASD was AUD 24 000. This likely indicates that the average NDIS budget for a child with ASD is broadly similar to that of an average child in the NDIS. However, as participants age, the average spending for participants with ASD drops relative to the entire participant population, resulting in substantially lower average spending for people with ASD compared to the scheme‑wide average. One possible explanation is that adults with autism, on average, may have lower support needs than individuals in other disability cohorts. Figure 5.9 presents average costs of NDIS plans by primary disability for NDIS participants of all ages.
Average spending on NDIS plans by primary disability, July-December 2024, Australia
NDIS: national disability insurance scheme.
Note: The horizontal line represents the average NDIS budget for all disabilities combined. NDIS participants of all ages.
Source: NDIS (2025[32]), Explore data, https://dataresearch.ndis.gov.au/explore-data.
Before the introduction of the NDIS, disability-specific health and social services were primarily delivered by NGOs funded by state and territory governments. Because coverage and eligibility criteria varied widely across jurisdictions, this system created a fragmented service landscape for people with disability, often leaving significant gaps in provision. The NDIS was established to address these inconsistencies (Community Support, n.d.[33]). Today, only a limited number of public services for people with disability are provided outside the NDIS framework.
Children with ASD can access paramedical therapies via several different channels
Since paramedical therapies fall within the scope of NDIS disability services, the NDIS has become the primary pathway for children with disability to access supports such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychotherapy. For children under six years of age, evidence of developmental delay and the associated need for paramedical intervention is sufficient . Aiming to ensure that young children in need of therapy can access it as quickly as possible, this approach reflects Australia’s recognition of the importance of early intervention.
Each child entering the NDIS receives an individually tailored budget across the scheme’s three budget categories: Core Supports, Capacity Building Supports, and Capital Supports. Paramedical therapies are funded under the Capacity Building Supports budget, specifically within the Improved Daily Living sub-category (NDIS, 2025[34]). This NDIS budget is then managed by the child’s plan manager – either parents, the NDIA, or a registered plan manager. The parents or child representative decide how the available funding is allocated across therapy types and hours. The NDIS budget a child receives depends on their assessed support needs. That budget, in turn, determines how many hours of paramedical therapy they can access, thus making eventual therapy hours depend on the child’s support needs.
As an alternative to the NDIS, children with disability may access limited Medicare‑subsidised allied health services, such as speech or occupational therapy, via a GP-initiated Chronic Disease Management plan (up to five sessions per year) or under mental health initiatives (10 hours/year of psychotherapy) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024[35]). These rebates cover only part of the costs. Medicare is Australia’s universal public health insurance scheme which provides rebates for a wide range of medical and allied health services.
A third pathway for accessing therapy is through mainstream community health services or hospital-based care. These services, funded by state governments and provided free of charge, are generally available to children with disability who are not NDIS participants, subject to local inclusion and exclusion criteria. However, access varies considerably across regions: some areas have no paediatric therapy services at all, while others operate with long waiting lists, and most services are limited to children under nine years of age. Many children with autism and low support needs, as well as those awaiting a diagnosis, receive therapy through mainstream health services delivered by a range of allied health and nursing professionals – though the availability and consistency of this support differ markedly across the country.
A fourth pathway to access therapies is through the education system. In practice, however, mainstream schools – which are typically the default option for children with disability unless their needs are too extensive to be met at their local school – rarely provide therapy on site. Special education schools are far more likely to integrate therapy into the school day. Whether a child with ASD ultimately receives therapeutic support at school depends not only on the type of school but also, to a large extent, on the individual school’s resources and policies. Some schools have sufficient funding to offer therapy, while others do not. Access to paramedical therapy through school is possible in theory but inconsistent in practice and far from standardised. Parents are left dependent on the discretion of the school, both in recognising the need for therapy and in having the resources to provide it as part of educational support. Similarly, certain schools may allow external providers, for example those funded through the child’s NDIS budget, to deliver services on school premises, whereas others – sometimes citing space constraints – decline to do so.
Through the NDIS and schools, there are no fixed minimum or maximum hourly limits for therapy for children with disability, including those with ASD. The number of hours a child ultimately receives depends on several factors, such as their individual support needs, the available NDIS budget, and the school’s resources. In these two pathways, access to paramedical therapy is highly individualised. By contrast, Medicare is far more limited in its provision of therapy for children with disability, generally covering only a small number of hours. This cap applies not only to children with ASD but to all children with disability who qualify for Medicare rebates. Children with ASD are not automatically entitled to additional therapy hours beyond those available to other children with disability. This principle applies across all four therapy access pathways described above.
Social services are equally funded through the NDIS budget
In addition to therapy interventions, the NDIS funds a wide array of social supports for children with disability. This includes short-term respite care and parent/carer capacity-building (such as training programmes) designed to help families manage their child’s needs. Where a child cannot travel independently, the NDIS plan’s Transport component of Core Supports can cover specialised transport for attending therapies or other activities. Within Core Supports, plans may also cover assistance with daily living tasks and supported social and community participation. Separately, the Capacity Building budget can fund Improved Daily Living Supports, such as training to enhance the child’s independence, and Increased Social and Community Participation, which supports skill-building through participation in social and recreational activities (NDIS, 2025[34]).
NDIS makes up largest share of public spending on disability services
The central role of the NDIS in funding disability-related services is clearly reflected in government expenditure on disability services. In 2019/20, NDIS contributions already accounted for around 87% of total government spending on direct service delivery, and this share grew further to about 96% by 2023/24, as the scheme expanded its coverage and alternative service pathways were phased out. Today, the NDIA is by far the dominant actor in enabling Australians with disability to access funds to purchase supports and services themselves. At the same time, total annual government expenditure on disability services has grown substantially, doubling from roughly AUD 23 billion in 2019/20 to around AUD 47 billion in 2023/24 (Figure 5.10).
Government expenditure on disability services (all persons with disability) and share of NDIS contributions of government direct service delivery expenditure
NDIA: national disability insurance agency, NDIS: national disability insurance scheme
Note: Direct services include: Accommodation support; Community support; Community access; Respite services; Employment services; Advocacy, information and print disability; Other support services; NDIS contributions.
Government direct service delivery expenditure excludes costs, such as for the NDIA agency or administration expenditure. Total expenditure on services, however, includes these administrative costs, though these remain relatively modest.
Source: Australian Government (2025[26]), Report on Government Services 2025, https://www.pc.gov.au/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2025/data-downloads.
Australia’s schooling system is primarily the responsibility of state governments, resulting in considerable variation across the country, further reinforced by the significant freedom and flexibility granted to individual schools. For children with ASD, as well as other children with disability, four main schooling options are available: mainstream schools, special education classes, special education schools, and homeschooling. The default pathway is enrolment in the local mainstream school, where children with SEN typically receive individualised support tailored to their needs. Special education schools also exist but their numbers are limited. These schools generally serve children with extensive support needs that cannot be met in a mainstream setting.
School placement is not determined by a standardised assessment or central authority. Instead, the decision is shaped by parental choice and the school’s capacity to provide appropriate support. This gives parents significant influence over their child’s educational pathway. However, while parents and specialised professionals, such as therapists or educational psychologists, can provide input and recommendations, the final responsibility for deciding on concrete support measures for the child rests with the school (NSW Government, 2023[36]). These measures are documented in the child’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and may include additional resources, learning support staff, or paramedical therapies, such as speech and language therapy (Autism Awareness Australia, n.d.[37]). Ultimately, the scope of individual special education support depends on the school’s resources and expertise. Access to special education classes or schools may require a formal medical diagnosis.
Inclusion of children with ASD in mainstream schools is common
Compared to the overall population of persons with disability, persons with autism are more likely to attend special education classes (25%) and special education schools (21%). While around 66% of all children with disability are enrolled in mainstream classes, this figure falls to just 50% for children with ASD. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that a non-negligible share of children with autism in Australia are educated through home schooling. It is important to note that Figure 5.11 only includes persons with autism who are also classified as having a disability. The picture would likely look quite different if the data covered all pupils with autism, including those without disability – most of whom are likely individuals with ASD but low support needs. In that case, the proportion of children with ASD enrolled in mainstream classes would almost certainly be higher. Nevertheless, among both, students with ASD and disability and the entire population of children with disability, the share enrolled in mainstream classes remains considerable – particularly when compared with many other countries (Figure 4.1).
Enrolment patterns of children (aged 5‑20) with disability, Australia, 2022
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024[13]), Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers: Autism in Australia, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/autism-australia-2022#data-downloads.
Figure 5.12 aligns with the observations on school attendance, showing that persons with autism are significantly more likely to receive supports or special arrangements in school than the wider population of persons with disability. Whereas 41% of all persons with disability reported receiving no support at school, this share is much lower – 21% – among persons with autism and disability. Substantial proportions of children with autism and disability access special education measures, such as the support of a counsellor or disability support person (34%), special assessment procedures (28%), or special tuition (35%). However, co-morbidities may be a key factor in this context. For instance, it may be the presence of conditions such as intellectual disability, which frequently co‑occur with autism, that primarily drives the demand for SEN support, rather than autism itself.
Type of educational support or special arrangements provided in Australia for children aged 5‑20, 2022
SEN: special educational needs.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024[13]), Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers: Autism in Australia, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/autism-australia-2022#data-downloads.
Australia funds special education supports through disability loadings
Under the Australian Education Act 2013, the responsibility for recurrent school funding is shared between the Australian Government and state and territory governments. Recurrent funding is calculated using the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) – a needs-based funding model comprising a base amount and up to six additional loadings that address disadvantaged schools and priority equity cohorts, including students with disability (Australian Government - Department of Education, 2025[38]). In 2024, the Australian Government’s share of the SRS was estimated to be AUD 29.7 billion, including AUD 4.0 billion for the Student with Disability Loading.
The Australian Government pays recurrent funding to each school’s Approved Authority. The Australian Education Act recognises that Approved Authorities are best placed to understand the individual needs of their students and schools. Approved Authorities distribute the Commonwealth funding they receive among their school(s) either:
according to the Schooling Resource Standard (under subsection 78(4) of the Act); or
if they are an Approved System Authority for multiple schools, by choosing to redistribute that funding among its individual member schools according to their own needs-based funding arrangements (under subsection 78(5) of the Act).
The level of Student with Disability loading depends on the student’s support needs which are classified into four categories: 1) quality-differentiated teaching practice (QDTP); 2) supplementary; 3) substantial; and 4) extensive support. Students at the lowest level – QDTP – do not qualify for a disability loading.
Share of students with disability by level of adjustment, 2024
Source: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2024[39]), School students with disability, https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/school-students-with-disability.
In 2024, 1 062 638 school students received an educational adjustment due to disability, representing 25.7% of total enrolments, up from 24.2% in 2023. The largest share of students with disability qualifies for supplementary adjustments (43.1%) (Table 5.2), which is the first adjustment level that also attracts a disability loading (Table 5.3). These loadings increase progressively across the categories – supplementary, substantial, and extensive – and are higher for primary students than for secondary students. The highest loading therefore applies to primary students requiring extensive adjustments, amounting to 312% of the baseline SRS funding for 2025, or AUD 43 652.
Student with Disability SRS loading by level of adjustment, 2025
SRS: schooling resource standard.
Source: Australian Government – Department of Education (2025[38]), Schooling Resource Standard, https://www.education.gov.au/recurrent-funding-schools/schooling-resource-standard#toc-srs-loadings.
For carers of children with ASD that have only mild support needs, the extent of financial support and NDIS funding is relatively modest – AUD 1 228 per month (see Table 5.4). What makes Australia stand out, however, is that children with mild support needs receive financial support at all – something uncommon in most other countries (see Chapter 3). This is due to two main factors: 1) ASD is included on the List of Recognised Disabilities, which automatically qualifies parents/carers for the Carer Allowance; and 2) the NDIS provides budgets for people with disability to purchase services. While public services are difficult to monetise in most countries, in Australia the calculation is more straightforward, since almost all disability services, such as paramedical therapy, are covered by an NDIS budget. With this important feature of Australia’s system in mind, the monetary amounts shown in Table 5.4 may appear relatively modest, given that little to no additional disability services or supports are provided outside the NDIS framework.
When moving from a child with ASD and mild support needs to one with moderate support needs, monthly expenditure more than doubles – AUD 2 488 per month. In such cases, parents receive a substantially larger NDIS budget to purchase the additional services and supports their child would need. On top of this, the government is also likely to incur additional costs through an SRS disability loading, which provides funding to schools to help meet the child’s special educational needs.
For a child with severe support needs, monthly expenditure more than doubles again, reaching AUD 5 256. Because such children require extensive assistance across all areas of daily life, their NDIS budget is substantially higher than that of a child with moderate support needs. The same applies to educational support: moving from a supplementary to a substantial adjustment level under the SRS Student with Disability loading represents a sharp rise in costs. By comparison, the monthly allowance of AUD 452 – equivalent to just 5.3% of the average monthly wage in Australia in 2024 – seems negligible, particularly for families where one parent has left the workforce to provide full-time care for their child.
Monthly spending on a child with ASD in Australia by spending category and support needs, 2025
ASD: autism spectrum disorder, NDIS: national disability insurance scheme, PPP: purchasing power parities, QDTP: quality differentiated teaching practice, SRS: schooling resource standard.
Note: Average annual wages of 2023.
1. Financial Benefits: Carer Allowance, Carer Payment, Child Disability Assistance, Carer Supplement.
2. The average annual NDIS payment for a 12‑year‑old child with ASD is about AUD 18 622 in 2025.
3. Education spending only includes the SRS Student with Disability loading which is divided into four levels of adjustment.
Core assumptions:
a. Parental care – one parent reduces working hours in line with care needs (0%, 50% and 100%).
b. Parents earn the average annual wage and work full-time in baseline scenario.
c. 12‑year‑old child with formal ASD diagnosis, attending secondary school.
d. Level of adjustment: QDTP for mild support needs, supplementary for moderate support needs, substantial for severe support needs.
e. NDIS: half the average payment for mild support needs, average payment for moderate support needs, twice the average payment for severe support needs.
Source: OECD (2025[40]), Average annual wages (dataset), https://data-explorer.oecd.org/s/3sq and compilation of OECD material.
Australia’s approach to autism has evolved into a comprehensive policy framework among OECD countries, combining universal disability rights with targeted supports. The rapid rise in autism diagnoses, particularly among children, has tested the responsiveness and sustainability of Australia’s disability and social protection systems. While the Carer Allowance and Carer Payment continue to provide some income support to families, these payments seem to play a supplementary rather than central role in addressing the needs of families of children with autism. In contrast, the NDIS has become the cornerstone of autism support, providing individualised, needs-based assistance and early intervention. The scheme has been shifting towards greater reliance on functioning assessments to determine eligibility. However, the increasing share of NDIS participants with autism raises questions about long-term fiscal sustainability and the balance between early support and dependency on the scheme.
In education, inclusion has become a key policy goal, yet progress remains uneven. While most children with autism are now supported within mainstream schools, a significant share continue to attend special education settings, highlighting the need for continued investment in teacher training, classroom adjustments, and cross-sector collaboration. The gradual transition toward inclusive education should therefore be accompanied by strengthened capacity within schools to meet diverse learning and behavioural needs.
Looking ahead, the implementation of the National Autism Strategy (2025‑2031) provides an opportunity to consolidate gains and address remaining gaps in co‑ordination and service delivery. Ensuring that supports are equitably distributed across levels of need, that families can navigate available assistance without undue complexity, and that education and health systems are better aligned will be critical. Continued efforts to recognise and respond to the diversity of experiences within the autism community – including those who identify as having autism but not disabled – will also help ensure that policies reflect the full spectrum of needs and perspectives. Sustaining Australia’s progress will require balancing individualised supports with broader system reforms to promote inclusion, efficiency, and long-term well-being for people with autism and their families.
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← 1. Access lists, such as List A, were introduced as a mechanism during the transition phase of the Scheme, to expedite consideration of access for some cohorts. The lists do not override the provisions of the NDIS Act and an applicant does not need a condition on a list to gain access to the NDIS.
← 2. This estimate is based on the average spending for the six‑month period from 1 July to 31 December 2024 (AUD 11 022), which was doubled to approximate the average annual spending for a child, assuming spending remained relatively stable for the following six months (1 January – 30 June 2025). The estimate for the six‑month period from 1 July to 31 December 2024 is calculated from total payment amount for children aged 0‑18 divided by total number of active children aged 0‑18.