This is the start of a series of articles on services provided by the Australian Government for people with a disability and their carers.

There are many services available and it can seem like a maze when you are trying to find your way through them all; information can be confusing and difficult to understand. After 18 years of caring for a child with a disability I have learned to find my way through this maze but it was not easy to begin with. On top of dealing with a child’s disability, its diagnosis, treatment, therapy and the every day challenges it brings us, the process of finding out about services and payments can be stressful for parents; it certainly was for me before I tapped into support resources. There is plenty of help and support on hand. Please do not be afraid to use it as it can really ease the journey of looking after a child with a disability.

Where to find support and information

• Commonwealth Carelink Centres are information centres for older people, people with disabilities and those who provide care and services. Centres provide free and confidential information on community aged care, disability and other support services available locally, interstate or anywhere within Australia. . Free call 1800 052 222, Carelink Centre Locations
• Telephone Centrelink on 13 27 17
• Our forums which provide support, information and experiences from those caring for a person with Fragile X Syndrome
• Our website link pages – Support groups and Organizations, Advocacy and Online Support

This series of articles will consist of information on:

• Centrelink Payments
• Medicare Payments
• Respite Services
• Education
• Adult Services
• Employment
• Other Government Services

Departments responsible for the various disability services:

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) – provides services and assistance that help people with disabilities to participate actively in community and economic life, access a responsive and sustainable safety net, and develop their capabilities. To keep up to date with FaHCSIA news you can subscribe to disAbility e-news, a regular sector update to keep you informed about FaHCSIA disability issues. Back copies are available on this page too.

Department of Health and Ageing

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Payments and Allowances Centrelink and the Family Assistance Office

Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care

Other Government resources for Information

mychild.gov.au a new online portal for information on early learning and care launched 22nd October 2008

Raising Child Network – funded by the Australian Government

If there is anything in particular you would like us to cover on this topic, please let us know by leaving a comment below.

mychild.gov.au is a new Australian online portal for information on child health, early learning, parenting support and child care information which was launched on 22nd October 2008.

Included on the site is a section on Raising Children with Disabilities which covers the topics:

• Family Life
• Play, Health and Fitness
• Disability Rights and the Law
• Services and Support
• Working with Professionals
• Film Clips
• A-Z Disability Reference

Other sections of the mychild.gov.au site:

• Caring – covering child care options, government assistance for childcare and related information.
• Learning – Information on Government initiatives in Early Learning Years
• Raising Children – up-to-date, research-based material from birth through the school years. Topics include: child development, behaviour, health, nutrition and fitness, play and learning, connecting and communicating, sleep, safety.
• Wellbeing – Australian Government initiatives for your child’s health including the Healthy Kids Check Initiative and Immunization
• Supporting -
  includes:
  • The Raising Children Network
  • Children with Special Needs
  • Inclusion and Professional Support Program
• Frequently Asked Questions
• details of local child care services, providers, their facilities, services and fees

What is the new Australian Government “Helping Children with Autism” package that came into being as from 1st July this year for children with Autism and PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder)? What are the Medicare rebates and other services now available for diagnosing and treating ? I asked myself these questions and searched online for an answer, only to find a maze of information on various government sites. I ended up wondering if I had got the total picture and I was none the wiser as to whether or not children diagnosed with Fragile X would be eligible for the new services.

Jocelyn requested further information from the Department of Health and Aging and the picture became clearer. The reason for information being on various sites is because “Helping Children with Autism” is multi faceted. It involves services provided by the Department of Health and Ageing, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The package includes:

• Medicare rebates for specified diagnosis and treatment plans for children with PDD up to the age of 13
• Specific Medicare rebates for treatment of PDD by allied medical professionals for children up to the age of 15 – Speech Therapists, Psychologists and Occupational Therapists.
• Training for teachers,
• Education and support for parents and carers.
• Increased access to early intervention programs for children up to the age of 6 years old.

What are the implications for children with Fragile X Syndrome. A diagnosis of Fragile X Syndrome alone is not enough for inclusion in the Helping Children With Autism services. Fragile X is not a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). A child with Fragile X, would also have to have a diagnosis of a PDD to be included in the treatment and early intervention programs.

What are the PDDs? They are a group of five disorders, characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. These are:

1. Autism
2. Rett Syndrome
3. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
4. Asperger Syndrome
5. Pervasive Development Disorder not otherwise specified (PDD NOS)

This classification used by the program is taken from a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-IV-TR)

Because of the varying nature of symptoms and the degree they are affected, many children with Fragile X do not fall into the above criteria. Some children with Fragile X are also diagnosed with Autism so they would qualify for the program. Although Fragile X is sometimes considered an Autism Spectrum Disorder and many children have some autistic symptoms, they do not fit the full criteria for Autism itself.

People affected by Fragile X may be eligible instead for medicare rebated treatment under the classification of Chronic Disease Management Items. This program is coordinated by GP’s and may be available to patients who have complex and chronic health needs, needing at least three health care providers e.g. GP, Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist.

More about the Helping Children with Autism Package

From 1 September, changes to Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act (1995) came into place which give protection from discrimination to working parents and carers.

Under the amendments, it is unlawful for an employer to unreasonably refuse to accommodate a person’s responsibilities as a parent or carer. The changes apply in relation to job applicants and existing employees, as well as to to contract workers and partnerships.

The Act provides some examples of how these new rules can be implemented which include

• working part-time
• job sharing
• working from home for all or part of the working week.
• starting and finishing earlier or later

Update May 2011

This will be replaced by the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 in August 2011