Autism Spectrum Disorders, NDIS and Disability Services

Autism has some common difficulties and behaviours that you might notice in your child, or recognise in yourself if you are an adult who has not been diagnosed. These include:

• Difficulty communicating, expressing emotions and thoughts, or delays in language development. The person might show signs of nonverbal communication, not use hand gestures, not smile or respond to others, or have delayed or limited speech development.
• Social and emotional difficulties. Your child might not react to others’ facial expressions or emotions, not play with other children, not make eye contact, or lose control of their emotions frequently.
• Strong reactions to sensory input, such as smells, bright lights or loud noises.
• Hyper-focus and repetitive behaviours and interests like only playing with a particular toy, wanting to talk or learn about one topic, or following routines rigidly, and becoming distressed when these change.
• Body movements like flapping hands, jerking limbs, or walking on their toes.

Not everyone with autism will show difficulty in all of these areas, and signs vary across ages, and genders. Research suggests autism is diagnosed more often in boys and men because it presents differently and is less well understood in girls. Many people are not diagnosed with autism until adulthood, at which point they may require supported independent living services, depending on the severity.

If you think you or your child show signs of autism, your doctor can support you through diagnosis. They might refer you to specialists experienced in diagnosing autism, including psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychologists or speech pathologists.

Assessment and diagnosis is different for everyone, depending on your age and signs of autism. Diagnosis can involve assessments and questions about mental and emotional health, childhood and development, and tests to diagnose communication and social difficulties.

In cases where autism has other effects on your child’s health, the doctor might refer you for tests to rule out or identify other conditions.

The long-term impact of autism depends on the effects it has on a person’s life and the supports they receive to manage these effects.

At Claro, we provide disability and allied health services tailored to your needs. Our disability services range from everyday supports like help with shopping and transport, to more complex services such as overnight care and supported independent living.

While we continue to grow our team and the services we can offer across Australia, we currently offer supports to clients over 18 years old. Get in touch today to find out what services we offer near you.

We also partner with Plena Healthcare to provide allied health services like occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech pathology. These services can be provided in-home and by the same team members, so that you can focus on building a long-term connection and understanding about your care.

Fill out our enquiry form and we will contact you to discuss the right support and disability service options available.

• Autism, Health Direct
• Asperger’s Syndrome, Health Direct
• Autism in Australia, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Autism Spectrum Disorder, Better Health Channel Victoria
• Amaze Australia
• Autism Awareness Australia
• Autism, Raising Children Network
• Autism Spectrum Australia
• Neurodevelopment, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Understanding the NDIS
• How ECEI Works
• Carer Gateway