Speak Out April 2021

Members may remember an article in the June 2020 edition about the Association's meeting with the NDIS to advocate about the lifelong nature of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and more consistent funding for participants after the age of seven. Since then, a number of families and members have reached out to share their stories about applying for funding with the NDIS, which has been extremely valuable, although challenging for those involved! At the same time, academics such as Dr Elizabeth Murray and Shaun Ziegenfusz generously shared many of their resources for helping families advocate for services. Originally, SPA had intended to present a number of case studies to the NDIS at a follow up meeting, as part of an auditing process, however over the course of a few months almost all of the families were able to have the decisions overturned using the resources provided, so this was highlighted in a letter to the NDIS with a further meeting request. SPA also publicly released the policy briefs written by subject matter experts for use by members and families to support this process available here. Or go to: the SPA website > Resources for the Public > Advocacy A follow up meeting was held on 16 February 2021, where the progress over the previous months were discussed, and how the Association and the NDIS could work together in the future to ensure that access and eligibility could continue to be streamlined for children with DLD and CAS, particularly with the proposed changes in early intervention and the introduction of independent assessments. Amy Fitzpatrick Senior Advisor-Disability Update on the DLD and CAS advocacy with NDIS

community, as well as health professionals, and involving people with disability in choices that involve them as a matter of course using appropriate resources. The Association's submission to the Royal Commission and other governing bodies can be accessed here , or go to: SPA website > Resources for the Public > Advocacy > Submissions.

Stacey Baldac

Amy Fitzpatrick

Gail Mulcair

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April 2021 | Speak Out