Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ)
Major changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are coming.
This includes the launch of Thriving Kids in October. This program will be co-funded by state, territory and federal governments and will replace some children’s individual NDIS funding with foundational supports.
Read more:
Thriving Kids will start in October. But will the new support system be ready when families need it?
Foundational supports are disability services such as physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and psychology.
However, instead of being offered as a private service, funded by the NDIS, they will be integrated into other settings such as schools or community activities. The idea is children get the support they need wherever they already live, learn and play – without needing a referral to a specialist, or a diagnosis.
But Thriving Kids will only be for children aged 0–8 with developmental delay and autism who have low-to-moderate support needs.
What about children aged nine and over?
Those with higher needs will still be eligible for NDIS funding. But what if your child is no longer eligible for the NDIS, but too old for Thriving Kids?
There’s still a lot we don’t know
We don’t have exact numbers about how many children and young people would fall between the NDIS and Thriving Kids.
Health department documents seen by The Guardian in July estimated that – among those with developmental delay and autism no longer eligible for NDIS funding – 151,240 will be aged 18 or younger.
There is already concern among some experts that Thriving Kids will struggle to meet demand for those aged 0–8, and that support will be less individualised than the NDIS.
The federal government has not yet announced what supports it plans to offer for those aged nine and over who are no longer eligible for Thriving Kids, or how these would be funded.
But we know families are overwhelmed
Currently, many families end up doing the work to get their kids’ needs met, for example, by linking allied health (such as speech pathologists and occupational therapists) with their child’s teachers.
Research we (Sophie) have done with parents and caregivers shows they often feel overwhelmed and unsupported while advocating for their neurodivergent young people’s participation at school and in community activities.
The NDIS review in 2023 and the Thriving Kids advisory group’s recommendations in 2025 both called for better integration of disability services into the education system – and many families have supported this. This is what foundational supports are meant to address.
So how could foundational supports help?
As researchers and allied health professionals who work with children, we see this as a good opportunity to rethink how we support neurodivergent kids and young people.
Foundational supports for those aged nine and older will only work when they’re part of a broader system in which the professionals and adults around children work together.
This doesn’t mean teachers and schools simply absorbing more responsibility.
Foundational supports will need to involve:
Interprofessional collaboration
This means professionals from different fields (such as occupational therapy, psychology or social work) working together with children and their families to share information and agree on priorities for support (rather than a series of separate appointments).
As they get older, this process should increasingly involve young people themselves, supporting them to describe what they need, set their own goals and participate in discussions about the kind of support they get.
An informed support network
This means building the knowledge, skills and resources of educators, sport coaches, community workers – as well as family members and peers – to better understand developmental difference. Greater knowledge will ease the burden on families.
For example, this could involve education about why miscommunication can happen between autistic and neurotypical people because of natural variations in brain function (not because autistic people have an inherent deficit, as is sometimes assumed).
Different support levels
Some kids and young people will need more targeted or intensive support, such as a short burst of one-on-one therapy with a psychologist or speech pathologist. Others may benefit from group sessions, for example, a social worker at a community centre leading activities for teens focused on building skills and confidence for everyday life, such as getting a haircut or catching a bus.
Clear pathways for transition
Families shouldn’t have to work out which system they belong to and how to get the right support if needs change or their child ages out of Thriving Kids.
Let’s look at an example
Imagine a ten-year-old who finds the classroom overwhelming and is reluctant to attend school.
Rather than simply referring the child outside for weekly therapy, a coordinated approach could bring the teacher, family and relevant health professionals together to make a support plan.
The teacher and family might first talk about what they’re noticing and how the child feels, before deciding what practical changes are needed.
An occupational therapist linked to the school might then help identify environmental or sensory barriers. A social worker could help identify and address social challenges and build on strengths in the child’s school, home and community life.
Adults already helping this child where they play and learn will become better able to support them.
A trial in South Australia
In South Australia, the Self-Regulation Service has worked across 57 primary schools since 2024 to train teachers and teach students about self-regulation skills.
The program is an example of supporting all children – regardless of their background or specific ability – to develop skills such as planning, setting goals, anticipating obstacles and controlling impulses.
This will help them cope with difficult tasks now, as well as manage their own learning as they get older.
The takeaway
The goal of foundational supports is not simply to make children fit environments that don’t work for them. We have to transform our ways of working so children and young people of all ages can thrive as equal members of the community.
A child’s needs may change as they get older, but they don’t abruptly stop when they turn nine – so neither should their support.
One article linked to this piece was written by me and some colleagues at Deakin University.
Emma Cowie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/08/31/not-eligible-for-ndis-too-old-for-thriving-kids-what-supports-should-these-young-people-get/