When Coral Robertson thinks about what the impending National Disability Insurance Scheme changeover means for her son, she has mixed feelings.
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Fraser, 6, who is on the autism spectrum has been automatically accepted into the NDIS. Mrs Robertson, of Warrong, has already received a letter to tell her Fraser will transition to the new scheme from October.
“He didn’t have to go through any testing or anything like that, so that was great,” she said. “As a parent it’s rather daunting to be facing it, because all of a sudden you’ve got to be your child’s advocate.
“You’ve got to think 12 months ahead of what they could or couldn’t need, what struggles they might have in that time and things change in a child’s life so quickly.”
Mrs Roberston has been to a couple of information nights to find out what the NDIS means for her son, and to work out what is and isn’t included.
“Like a lot of other parents, we’re waiting to see what it’s like and, I guess going into it, expecting there will be bugs to iron out at the start but hoping it’s going to be a very positive experience for us as a family,” she said. “This will be a life-long plan for Fraser and as he grows as an adult, he can set his own goals and hopefully it will be something that’s really positive.”
She said friends who had already transitioned to the NDIS had told her it was a fairly painless process.
“It was a chat with somebody in their own home and they got to speak about their child and their needs and tell them about their life with their child who has special needs. They said it was pretty good,” she said.
“A couple of them were disappointed with what was granted to them in that they didn’t feel the person had picked up on what they thought was a priority focus, but as long as it’s on your plan it can be your focus, so that’s fine.”
