The NDIS provides funding to support children living with disability, as well as their families and carers. Here are some of the child-specific services you can access through the NDIS.
Early intervention – early support is crucial for a child’s growth and development. The NDIS provides early intervention for young children under the age of six through the Early Childhood Early Intervention program. The ECEI program helps children with developmental delays or disability learn and important skills. It aims to identify children's needs early on, and provide them with the right support at the right time. ECEI coordinators work closely with families to understand their child's situation and connect them with appropriate services and therapies to help their child reach their full potential.
Personalised support – the NDIS provides an individual plan for each child, outlining the supports they need to develop well in life. Children can then access a support worker, who is specially trained to provide support and assistance tailored to the child's individual needs. The support worker can help the child with daily activities like getting dressed, and eating. They can also assist with therapy exercises, help the child develop important skills like communication and social interaction, accompany the child to appointments, outings, or recreational activities, providing supervision and ensuring their safety.
Funding for disability equipment – children with disability can access special equipment through the NDIS to assist them with everyday life. This could include assistive technology such as devices that help children learn at school, mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, independent living aids for daily activities, and more.
Education support – the NDIS funds education support to help children with disability access mainstream education at school. This could be support in the classroom so children can thrive, assistive technology to aid learning, hearing and vision services, therapeutic interventions such as speech and occupational therapy, assistance with learning challenges, skills development for executive functioning, and more.
Support for families and carers – the NDIS supports families and carers of children with disability with services like counselling, training and guidance. Support workers can work closely with the child's family and other professionals to create a supportive environment and help the child reach their goals, while support coordination helps parents manage their child’s NDIS funding. The NDIS also funds respite services to give family carers a break.
Support to participate in community activities – the NDIS helps children with disability participate in community life. This could be funding for special equipment, training programs, assistive technology to take part in favourite hobbies, inclusive sports programs, funding for a support worker to assist children to participate in community life. The NDIS also funds transport so children can get to activities in their local community.
Paediatric services– children with disability can receive specialist services from a Registered Nurse to care for medical conditions in their own home. They can also receive 24/7 support for high needs, support to implement behaviour management plans, dietetic services to assist with eating difficulties, and mental health services to treat conditions such as anxiety or depression. Children with disability can also access counselling to help them develop coping strategies for everyday life.
Therapies to stay healthy and well – the NDIS can fund a wide range of therapies from allied health professionals so children can thrive in everyday life. This could include services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, psychology, dietetics and nutrition, hearing and vision services, exercise physiology, art therapy, music therapy, and more.
As a disability agency on the Central Coast, Home Caring helps children with disability thrive in everyday life. We can help you access support workers, home nursing services, allied health therapy, support for schooling, home modifications, assistive technology, counselling services and more. To find out more, please get in touch with our dedicated team of child disability support experts.