NDIS early childhood approach

The early childhood approach is how the NDIS is working with early childhood partners to deliver the early childhood approach for children aged younger than 6 with developmental delay or younger than 9 with disability.

The overall aim of the early childhood approach is to ensure that parents or primary caregivers are able to provide young children who have developmental delay or disabilities with experiences and opportunities that help children gain and use the functional skills they need to participate meaningfully in their environment.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) recognises that timely access to best-practice early childhood intervention is vital for children with developmental delay or disability to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes throughout their life. The early childhood approach approach aims to ensure children are provided with the right level of support at the right time for the right length of time.

Working in collaboration with sector experts, evidence-based research has been used to design early childhood approach as a family-centred approach. The NDIA will engage early childhood providers around Australia, called early childhood partners, who in their work with the family will use their clinical and specialist expertise in early childhood intervention to understand the child’s developmental delay or disability and the impact on their everyday functioning. Together they will identify goals and using their expertise, the early childhood partner will discuss evidence based supports that can help meet the goals of the child and family.

The type of supports offered will be different for every child and their family according to their individual needs. The early childhood partners enable the NDIA to be implemented at a community level.