School starters to be observed for autism, ADHD checks under Liberal plan

All Victorian children will be observed in their first year of schooling for signs of autism or ADHD to fast track early interventions, if the Coalition wins November’s state election.

Liberal education spokesman Brad Rowswell announced a $156 million Successful School Starters policy pledge on Wednesday at The Age Schools Summit in Melbourne, promising a new deal for families of neurodivergent children.

Under the proposed program, occupational therapists and speech pathologists would be embedded in the existing Primary School Nursing Program, helping to identify neurodiverse students at the start of their schooling and guide families into early intervention.

The specialists, who Rowswell says will be in place by term 1 of 2028, will observe students as they begin prep, help to formally identify signs of neurodiversity, talk about what they have seen with parents, and support families through the initial stages specialist assessment and diagnosis.

Diagnoses for neurodivergent conditions have soared in Australia in the past decade – more than 9 per cent of five- to seven-year-old children are now on the NDIS, mostly for autism or developmental delays. Figures released last August show 16 per cent of all six-year-old boys in the country now rely on the NDIS for a range of issues.

Rising rates of neurodiversity have also been cited as a factor in the state’s teaching crisis, fuelling burnout in an education workforce struggling to cope with increasingly challenging classroom behaviour.

Autism and ADHD have been politically charged lately as the federal Labor government looks to rein in the runaway costs of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by moving children with low to moderate needs onto an as yet vaguely defined scheme called “Thriving Kids”.

There has been pushback from families unhappy with what they see as cost-shifting by the Commonwealth and worried about their children’s future care, with the detail of how Thriving Kids will work in practice still unresolved.

The states have also expressed caution about the changes, repeatedly urging the federal government to see more detail.

The Liberals’ new policy is not aimed at funding treatment or supports, but at facilitating early detection and intervention helping families navigate the “complex and difficult” pathway to neurodiversity diagnosis.

At present, families of children starting school complete a questionnaire to record their child’s health history and any concerns about their hearing, vision, speech, development, or overall wellbeing. The questionnaires are then reviewed by a school nurse with follow-up recommended on any specific issues highlighted.

Rowswell argues that the current system does little for the families of children whose neurodiversity has not already been flagged before they start school.

He says a lack of support forces families to navigate a fragmented and costly process with little or no guidance.

For students who need specialist review and diagnosis, Rowswell promises Successful School Starters will provide a subsidy of $500 for the initial specialist appointment.

The opposition says its policy will help ease the growing strain on teachers by making it easier to manage classroom behaviour of students who need support or learning adjustment.

Rowswell said students from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, where awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity varies, would also benefit from the scheme.

“For too many Victorian families, the journey to getting answers for their child is stressful, confusing and expensive, and that’s simply not good enough,” the shadow minister said.

“By identifying learning and developmental needs earlier, we can give children the best possible start, help parents get the answers they need, and ensure teachers have the tools to support every student in their classroom.

“Successful School Starters, a first-of-its-kind program in Australia, is about making sure families don’t have to navigate this process alone and that children receive support when it can make the biggest difference.

“This is a practical, compassionate reform that puts students first and helps set them up for success from day one.”

Melbourne mother Brooke Adair’s daughter Olivia was diagnosed with autism while in year 1. She said her family would have benefited from more official support at school level when Olivia was in prep and showing early signs she needed help.

Adair, a paediatric physiotherapist, said that even as a health professional, she had a difficult time accessing the help and support that Olivia needed and is adamant that more can be done to support families at a tough time in their child’s life.

“When I think back to prep and to some of the difficulties we faced, if at least I’d been able to feel supported in that space, it would have been very different,” Adair said.

She said that for families without inside knowledge of the medical landscape, “it would be impossible”.

“It was so hard for me, but I’ve got a high level of health literacy, I understand the systems, I’m working in the sector, and know the people to go to, and it was still so taxing on me, and emotionally, financially, and physically.”

Gail McHardy, chief executive of volunteer group Parents Victoria, said she supported children getting earlier identification and support.

“The key issue for us is what happens after a need is identified,” McHardy said.

“Families and schools need a clear pathway from identification to practical support, without creating additional administrative burdens or relying on resources that are already stretched.

“The measure of success will be whether students receive the adjustments and support they need to fully participate and thrive at school.”

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